“I’m beginning to think that you
take on martial arts to obtain self control.” Mr. Bloom glanced over the sweaty
hands wrapped with white band and his eyes ran over the lithe body. He studied
the hunching shoulders and heavy breath like a lion studying a prey. “Are you
looking for control, Amara?” Amara looked into the deep, brown orbs reflected
on the window and into a far distant. She didn’t know what to answer and she
wasn’t eager in answering the question too. She, herself wasn’t sure. Amara
studied her own reflection, searching for the answer she was hoping not to
find, because she knew the answer, but was not looking forward to accept it.
Perhaps, she already did but she simply refused to acknowledge it.
“Do you think you are losing
control, Amara?” The doctor insisted, but with patient. He has always been
patient. Every time the conversations involve Amara, the white haired
psychiatrist chooses his words carefully. Trying to measure the extend of the
words’ impact on Amara. Trying to evaluate her respond and sometimes, trying to
anticipate the respond. Most of the time, he misses the mark, but other times,
he hits the spot with deadly accuracy. Amara’s act has been unpredictable and
her mind unreadable. It seems like her mind changes from time to time, randomly
and almost…convenient to hide her true feeling. Amara has been the most
interesting patient Mr. Bloom has and the most dangerous so far. Not because
she was capable of violent, but because she was incapable of it.
There’s a wall building inside
her mind, containing her darkest desire. He tries to reach into the wall from
time to time but when he gets to the gate, Amara will direct him somewhere
else. She is not delusional, not a schizophrenic. She knows her mind very well
but doesn’t like what she sees up there, and so she kept it in the dark. Lock
away in the back of her mind. Inaccessible, except by herself. Dr. Bloom has
long wondered, what will happen if she lose control and the container break. Would
she be able to pick up the broken pieces back or would she be drowned by it.
Either way, Dr. Bloom is interested more into her own self-evaluation, at least
for now.
“I think I am a person who has
the most control of myself in this room.”
“In this room? How about out
there? We have our sessions in the most unconventional place and I couldn’t
help thinking that you like this place in particular. Among other
unconventional places, we have had our sessions in this gym four times.” Dr.
Bloom fished in again, hoping to find a fish at the end of the hook when he
rails out. But Amara didn’t respond. She just kept looking into the window,
being absorbed by her own reflection. “Do you feel like you’re losing balance
and thus, you need this room to find balance?” Dr. Bloom looked into the
reflected deep brown orbs and immediately knows the answer. There is no answer.
Not by Amara and not by her longing gaze. She is not losing control. She is
lost altogether. The wall is growing now, he can feel the thick bricks grew.
The thing she was hiding behind the thick wall didn’t hide her feeling, it
consumes her. It consumes her conscience. It reminded him of lost puppy trapped
in a drain, but this time, it is not a drain that imprisons the puppy, it is
the maze. The maze created by her own mind and she doesn’t know the way out.
She had the key in her hand, but doesn’t know which door to unlock, or which
she wants to unlock. She is unsure if the key even matches the door. She was
walking through the maze, circling it. Whatever there is on the other side, she
is not eager to find out. And so, she keeps on walking, despite that she knows
she is getting nowhere.
“Where are you, Amara? What are
you looking for?” Amara blinked once and thought. What exactly is she looking for?
Looking at the empty face, Dr. Bloom sighed, almost disappointed while half of
him squealed in excitement. Amara is a puzzle he cannot solve and it intrigued
him even more. He is pulled into the game he didn’t remember sitting for, and
yet he didn’t want to get up. The game is intoxicating. No matter how complex
it is, he just wants to know the picture when the pieces are put together. The
picture hidden in her mind, the picture that no one has seen before. Her true
self. This is a game and the reward is amazing. No matter how long it will
take, Dr. Bloom will not quit. He will keep going even if he is to be pushed
down along with her. Let them wander in the dark together. Let them walk the
maze together. Let the darkness consume both of them. No matter how deep the
pit he has to crawl in. Let it be and let it so be.
“I think that’s enough for today.
Would you like to have a drink, Amara? Or should I get your coat now?” Dr.
Bloom asked, hoping for her to choose the first but knowing too well that she
will go for the second.
“My coat.” Amara answered and
almost instantly, he nodded. He expected that, though he wishes for different.
Today’s session is quite short, but resourceful. As soon as Amara walked into
the changing room, Mr. Bloom sighed. He couldn't wait for the next.
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