Following a workout to relieve some stress, Basil meets with one of his favorite clients. One with a particular issue that the counselor is still working on adapting his direct approach to...
Back upstairs Basil was pounding his third of three bottles of water as he sat across from Virgil Thomas. The man was reporting back on his recent homework assignment to attend an invite only, ultra exclusive swingers event in Adams Morgan. One of two that he identified a couple weeks prior, after another assignment.
USE THE RESOURCES AT YOUR DISPOSAL TO FIND LIKE MINDS.
One of the biggest things he had to get the man to understand, was that in this day and age, every individual has a tribe.
“Sex addiction is not new Virgil. In fact, it's probably the best time ever to have this, affliction. All this society knows right now is fluidity. And we passed the acceptance of promiscuity about two decades ago. Just find a means to address your particular urges.”
“I know. You said that at our second session. I just...I don't know…”
“See, you just let some very bad decisions and a couple arrests for them, cause you to shut down. Then you started thinking that there was something wrong with you. With how you thought and were feeling,” Basil interjected.
“I guess. But, if there are people that clearly feel like me. See the world in the same way that I do. I mean, there are so many of us Basil. Why can't I just live openly? No secrets.”
“YOU GOT CAUGHT MASTURBATING, SITTING ON YOUR WINDOW SILL AT GROUND LEVEL, WITHOUT A STITCH OF CLOTHING ON AT THREE PM IN THE AFTERNOON ON A GOT DAMN SATURDAY VIRGIL! I can't speak from experience, but I would think that would cross the lines of common decency in a nudist colony man. Come the fuck on.”
“Well when you put it like that,” the man meekly replied.
A melodic tune played softly in the background, signaling the ten minutes left marker of the session. Basil tapped the center of his left ear subtly upon hearing this. One of many nonverbal communicators he carried over from his sessions, during his by the book counseling days. It was a means of centering his clients. Establishing control in a sea of chaos as he viewed it. All that most people lacked in his view, was a sense of order to their lives. Their issues.
“Let's switch lanes with the little time we have left today. The festivities of this weekend. How did you feel after? Was this something that you could see yourself doing again?” He was attempting to navigate the man sitting across from him, away from a moment of self-loathing, to one of reflection and optimism. Why are you sitting over there determined to be fake sad, when you fucked numerous women and maybe even men, in a number of ways? Or at least that’s what he assumed happened at swinger events.
“It was...mind-blowing. I don't entirely know what I expected, but I got all that and then some.”
“So, did you have the sex?” Basil asked in a very exaggerated tone.
“I didn't.”
“O...kay,” he replied in a confused tone.
“To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. There were some extremely attractive women there. Gorgeous really. And I was even propositioned by a couple men, that was jarring. But it was. It was a lot to take in. So I just watched mostly. The woman who extended the personal invite was real nice. When she wasn't partaking in...you know, she walked me around to different rooms. Explained how things work. And even introduced me to a couple people who host similar events with more specific uhhh...tastes. For lack of a better word.”
“So it sounds like it was definitely a fruitful trip.”
“Oh, I did get one hell of a hand job.”
“Hey, that's our time Virgil,” Basil said pushing up off his seafoam blue chair. “Look. Don't forget to journal your feelings and thoughts in-between events with your new friends. I think you're arriving at a good place. And I want you to be able to see what I do, cool?”
“Cool,” the man said getting up off of the adjoining couch with an outstretched hand.
Basil responded with an extended fist in kind, to dap up.
Following behind the taller, slim built man, Basil noticed the blue light coming from a small cube near his computer. With his schedule being open for the rest of the day save for a call with a former client of his, he didn't mind the unexpected guest. When he walked around the corner however, he didn't know how to feel...
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