"I...No. No, I can't possibly go."
"Why not?" Riba asked mildly.
I listened at the tape my latest shrink left me together with all his other files. He had never noticed what his clients told him just made a tape of the 40-minute chat, asked each of them the same common questions and in the meanwhile, he drew his 'whatever-it-may-be' drawings.
I took over his job since I know how it feels to be labelled as a fruitcake, to be molested, ignored and above all to be manipulated.
I know all about it and decided to make some changes. Not only in my life but also in my clients theirs.
Before a client knocks on my door I read their file first (there is hardly anything in it) and listen to the tapes or at least the first and last 2.
At first, it was not quite clear to me who Riba was but her voice, the 'mildly' way she talked and asked questions, irritated me already as I heard her in tape one. She always was present, interfered and clearly loved to overrule my client. It is not hard to understand why she suffers from anxiety and feels depressed.
People like Riba are parasites and creepy.
They are great at keeping up appearances, always smile and are too friendly to be true. Of course, they are ready to give a hand, at least it is what they want to make the outside world believe.
In reality, they focus on a so-called 'weak' person, their victim, someone they can manipulate and make believe they can't do without them. The victim takes them in and they suck all energy and happiness out of them.
The worse my client feels the better Riba does, she loves to steal the show. Now I ask you: Who needs a friend like that? There is nothing wrong with my client, except for not finishing that monster. The real sick person in here is Riba!
The delivery man went into the main hangar. He whistled softly at the vast array of boxes full of files.
He had to take them to some schoolhouse where they would be destroyed by someone. Curious as he was he flipped through some files. He knew it wasn't allowed and these were the life stories of other people, but no matter how bad it all sounded it was still way better than his own dull life.
One of the stories was about R.
She sounded like a dangerous and horrifying person. A psychopath and a cuckoo's chick, right out of prison on the hunt for new victims. There was something very wrong with society. More and more psychopaths and serial killers came into the world, everybody knew about them but if it came to it no one could recognize them.
'They are very charming, attentive, a great example for others, talkative and generous...' he read.
The words, all in red, were written on nearly every page as if the writer needed to remind himself who he had just paid a visit to, who that person was for real.
He turned the file and read the name of the doctor, underneath it was written everybody deserves a second chance or even more.
He stared at the name. So this idiot was the one that set psychopaths free in the outside world and even got under their spell.
"Thanks, doc", he said, " you are really a great help for this society.
"...there was a huge family and I was just one of them, good enough to take care of everything but not good enough to be seen", my client said.
Riba was holding hands and handing over a handkerchief to wipe off snot and tears. She was a great pretender for sure.
"Well these days are over", I said. " You have suffered long enough and wasted most of your life feeling miserable and in here. You know it is all in your hands now, you are the only one who decides about your life.
"You are not going to give me any advice?"
"I just did and it is even for free, you are free to go, can live your life now."
Slowly my client pulled her hands out of Riba's and looked from me at the door.
"Off you go, a Riba-less life is waiting for you". I nodded at her and she left.
Riba tried to say something but I told her to shut up after all this session was not about her.
"Your time is up", I said just before the delivery man knocked on my door again to let me know he was finished. I gave him a tip as he took his last deliverance of the day with him.
The story above is part of the series 'A shrink story of the 6th floor' started 3 years ago.
Life is full with lots of people like Riba. They make themselves feel good at the expense of another, who is consumed with their emotional blackmail. The selfish nature of man.