May 1st Part 2

When Ms. Allen began talking about Simone her whole demeanor changed. Her posture shifted as though excitement had filled her body. Her speech pace increased rapidly like she wanted to fill me in on all the positives about Simone.

Recording of said exchange:

"Simone is just amazing, she moved in next door around 3 weeks ago. I went over there in the middle of the day to bring them some brownies I had made. When she opened the door she was just so... beautiful. Her personality is so upbeat and approachable. She welcomed me in immediately. She's so energetic and her house is clean and she's got great fashion sense. While I just sit at home in old sweat pants Simone was in this gorgeous flowery dress that showed off her jaw dropping figure..."

Ms. Allen appeared to realize at the end that she wasn't just describing a friend, but possibly someone she may be attracted to, and that was when she became somber again.

She put her head in her hands, stifled a sob, "What's wrong with me Doctor? I'm... I'm a married woman, and I find myself thinking about, not just, not just someone other than my husband, but my female neighbor?? I mean everything I was taught in church tells me that I am wrong for thinking... for feeling this way... but Simone is so nice to me, so amazing to be around, but I don't know what to do with these.......feelings"

She crossed her legs and clung her arms to her sides, almost trying to make her self seem smaller, she rocked herself in the chair their for a minute or two.

"Lori, there is nothing wrong with making a new friend. There is nothing wrong with appreciating your new friend and noticing all her good qualities. I think part of the reason you are feeling this way is because you do not feel comfortable expressing yourself. I'm guessing you are your husband don't talk a lot about each other's days?"

"That's true... I guess he thinks I don't have much to say, all I do is clean the house that never gets dirty"

"I'm going to encourage you to do two things before our next session. First I want you to create a diary and write in it at least every other day. That way you can start to feel comfortable expressing yourself in your own home. Secondly I want you to continue with your friendship with Simone. We all have feelings we can't explain or momentary fantasies, but I can tell that Simone is going to be good for your overall health, so I am encouraging you to dive right in. Can you do those easy tasks for me?"

Long pause........

"Yes Dr. Winters, see you next week"