Miss Daisy...
/Miss Daisy: A Therapeutic Love
“What are we going to do with you, Myer?” Dr. Laura said, removing her glasses and bringing her left hand up to massage her temples. She was sitting in her computer chair with her legs crossed. Myer sat on her light couch, lowered his chin, and exhaled. “You’re the doctor,” he said. Myer came now and then for medication adjustments. He was as depressed and out of it as ever. “I just need something that works,” he said, desperation creeping into his voice. Truthfully, Myer was better just relaxing in Dr. Laura’s office, but outside of her presence, his life was a chemical imbalance. Dr. Laura’s office was soft, slightly warm, imbued with a faint scent of cedar and lavender. A large window overlooked a small patch of green—a stoic, unremarkable tree whose branches provided a gentle, shifting shadow play on the beige carpet.
“Right,” she said as though she had snapped back into her profession. “I’m forgetful today,” she said, clearing her throat. “We’ve tried everything.” Dr. Laura licked her finger and turned pages in my records. “I can’t think of a thing we haven’t tried,” Dr. Laura said, her tone conveying failure. The continuous, gentle flow of a desk waterfall mellowed the tension.
“What about we prescribe you?”
“Excuse me?” A mixture of blush and anger flamed on her cheeks.
“You’re Miss Daisy online, right?” Myer said.
Dr. Laura brought her hand to her chest. “My Medium blog?”
“I came across your page because I love reading poetry and short fiction romance.”
Dr. Laura set her clipboard on the glass coffee table. “You’re Mickey Mouse?”
Myer shrugs with a grin. “Not the actual Mickey Mouse.” He winked.
Dr. Laura’s facade crumbled. “You leave the nicest comments on my posts.”
“I’ve been reading your stories for a year,” Myer said, giving her an engaging glance.
“Why haven’t you said anything?” She touched his forearm and pulled back.
“Rust Bolts,” Myer said. “That story was about me, wasn’t it?” “Yes,” she said, her voice lower than usual. “That’s why,” Myer said. “But I knew it was about me; at least I hoped it was about me.” He laughed. “What gave it away?” Dr. Laura brushed her damp eyes with her fingers. “It just made sense,” Myer said, raising and lowering his arms halfway. “I just randomly came across your page,” he said. “I wasn’t looking for you, but you let it slip during one session that your pen name was Miss Daisy. I put it together and beat myself up for not telling you sooner.”
“Telling me what?”
“Telling you that you’re my therapy.”
Dr. Laura pressed her lips together, hiding a grin. “I’m going to lose my license.”
“Who am I supposed to tell?”
“No one,” she said, “or I’ll end Mickey Mouse for good.”
They laughed until they couldn’t catch their breath.
“We could always sign marriage papers, and no one would be the wiser.”
“Think that’s a good idea?” Dr. Laura said.
“That’s how your story ends, right?” Myer said. “The couple get married.”
“That is how it ends, and it’s how we begin.”
By Andy Cooper
From: United States
X: AC0040