"Alright Doc, I'm gonna give it to you straight," Helga claims as she paces around the therapist's office. "I messed up."
"You know Helga," Dr. Bliss begins, her clipboard in hand. "It's only human to make mistakes. Now tell me, what did you do that was so wrong?"
Helga paces faster, her hand to her head as she struggles to find where to begin. As much as she wants to get help, she can't help but fear Dr. Bliss's reaction. Will she be disappointed in her? What if she gets angry that Helga has fallen back into her old ways? No, Helga thinks to herself, Dr. Bliss never gets angry.
She looks up at the clock and realizes three minutes have passed since Dr. Bliss asked her a question. Her brow begins to sweat as she mentally recounts the events of the past few days. Suddenly her anxiety takes over as Helga blurts out, "I punched Rhonda."
"Helga," Dr. Bliss says in a calm voice.
Before she can continue, Helga interrupts, "I know what you're gonna say. It's not right to hit people." Helga flashes back to a couple days prior when her dad slammed his fist down next to her and she winces, "I need to control my temper. I need to find better ways to express myself. She just knows how to get under my skin and, I don't know, maybe I'm just not right for this 'being nice' crap. I've…"
"Helga, Helga, Helga," Dr. Bliss slowly raises her voice enough to get Helga's attention. "No one ever said that you had to be perfect overnight. Coming in here, admitting what you did wrong is the first step towards becoming who you want to be. Now what made you lose your temper?"
"I already told you, Doc. It was Rhonda and her big mouth."
"No one can make us lose our tempers, Helga. That is something only we can control," Dr. Bliss scratches away at her notebook. "What did Rhonda say that made you upset?"
Helga reveals the contents of what happened earlier that day as Dr. Bliss nods along.
"I think you already know what I am about to ask you next."
"No!" Helga demands, "it has nothing to do with Arnold."
"It's natural when a crush becomes a friend to hold on to an expectation of something more. You've been getting closer to Arnold recently and maybe that connection is bringing out hope for something more."
Helga thinks for a moment. "That's not it, Doc. There's someone else. That guy I told you about. The one I work with. We went on a…I don't know." Helga lays down on the floor and puts her legs onto the couch. "I think, maybe, she's right. Maybe he could never love me."
"You are very lovable and you deserve to feel worthy of love. Always remember that."
"But I punched her. I mean. There was no hesitation. I punched her. What does this mean? Am I incapable of changing?"
"No one is incapable of change. But with every new path we decide to make for ourselves, we will always be tempted into our old ways. You fell into your old ways. You resorted to what you know and what you were taught. That doesn't make you a bad person. And it doesn't make you incapable of becoming a better you."
"So you're saying there's hope for me, Doc?"
"Yes Helga," Dr. Bliss assures her, "I think there's a lot better to come."