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Writer's pictureAlixx Black

Stealing the Show

Today I got my prompt from this website using their random first line generator.

The prompt is: The scent of lavender was overpowering.

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Dreams are made of happiness, of fun, and of excess everything. Too much of a good thing can be off-putting and truly very telling of one’s character. For example, the scent of lavender was overpowering when I visited the family psychologist for the first time. Not only did lavender permeate every surface in the room but it was also the color of her walls, the color of her glasses, and the accent for her couch.

I have found in my experiences an attachment to smell can be for very emotional reasons. There is a dependency on the scent. It reminds someone of love or satisfaction. Lavender is a clean smell, very vibrant and fresh. Easily it is one of the most common odors to put in perfumes and bathroom products. Most people probably associate such a sharp scent with organization, pleasantry, or gardens. The room has a myriad of floral arrangements and a good many pictures depicting gardens and flowers. There’s even a Monet replica piece framed above her short bookcase.

“Abigail, it is so lovely to finally meet you!” As she introduces herself, she assures me that I can call her Donna. After she lists off her many qualifications, her years of experiences and awards, and all of the times my parents have come in to speak about their own troubles she finally motions for me to take a seat. As soon as I do I kick my feet up and throw my head back, just like I’ve seen in any movie with a scene showcasing a shrink meeting.

To start she encourages me to speak of anything on my mind. There’s really nothing rattling around up there except my trying to decide what is wrong with this lady. People become psychologists to learn how to best deal with their own problems. So what is this woman’s problem?

That is when I decide to start talking about her out loud. There is a caked layer of dust on the book shelves which signifies the hasn’t had any need for the books that she’s displaying. Lavender is clearly something she associates with a love of gardening. However, the obsessive presence in her office signifies that she definitely has some unresolved issues on the matter. Perhaps gardening is something she did with a sibling or a spouse. Maybe she gardened with her mother who passed at least a year or so ago. In one respect or another she feels estranged from her gardening partner. I suppose that this was a long troubled relationship and conclude that regardless of the cause the issue is to date unresolved and provides a foundation to all advise she gives to her patients.

Needless to say, she tells me that I am clearly narcissistic like my mother and emotionally abusive like my father. The only thing I can say to her that seems even close to nice is, “Well – at least you’re not stupid.”

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