Shameless (The Therapist #2), стр. 27
The furrow in my brow is so deep it nearly gives me a headache. “Absolutely not, Tessa. Even if you wanted to have sex for fun just for the sake of having sex for fun, that still doesn’t make you a whore. You’re a grown woman. It’s not illegal for you to do whatever the hell you want with whoever you want.”
“Yeah, but in the eyes of society, that makes me a slut.”
Now it’s my turn to exhale. “Tessa, please excuse me for being so frank. But, fuck society.” Tessa smiles while I go on. “Let me explain something that I think is important for you to hear. Society sucks, and very rarely gets it right, regardless of the topic. Society judges everyone for everything, especially women, while usually giving passes to men for doing the same things. The word slut is used to attack women for their right to say yes to casual sex. It’s used to shame you for doing what you want, as if choosing to do what you want is wrong. When you don’t want to sleep with a guy and choose to be friends instead, society uses the term ‘friend zone’ to condemn you for saying no to casual sex. To top it all off, society then calls you a bitch when you call men out for almost anything.
“So, let’s review. If you say yes, you’re a slut. If you say no, you're a prude who puts guys in the friend zone, and if you call out this double standard and stigma, then you're a bitch. For a woman, you're almost always wrong in the eyes of a society that values the opinions and actions of men over women. So, fuck it. Take control of your life, and do what you want. Fuck society. Don’t burden yourself with the opinions of strangers who don’t matter and don’t know you at all. You should feel fulfilled in a relationship, and also when you have sex. But, how can you know if you're getting what you need in those areas if you don’t take the time to discover what you like?
“My advice to you, Tessa, is to be selfish right now. You’re a single woman with no children, and that’s great. Take advantage of the opportunity to do what you want. You’re not obligated to live by anybody else’s standards except your own. And for the record, if you're not sure if you've had great sex or not, that means you haven’t.”
The smile on Tessa’s face is so wide it nearly reaches the top of her head. I understand her situation, and I know it’s going to be difficult for her to let go of valuing her mother’s opinion the way she does. It’s very hard to break free of things you’ve been taught from birth. In a sense, it’s brainwashing, and those chains are nearly impossible to break. However, if Tessa can pull it off, she’ll find a world of satisfaction that she never even knew existed.
“Thank you, Dr. Colson,” Tessa says, still smiling. I can see she’s still thinking about it, but getting acceptance in situations like this is always important, especially when you're apprehensive about making a drastic change. Tessa will still have her mother to deal with, but I hope our sessions give her courage to find herself.
“You don’t have to thank me,” I respond. “You should thank yourself for finding the courage to break free of the box that society and your mother had kept you in. Now that you’re out of that box, it’s time for you to discover all that’s out there. Are you ready?”
Tessa, still holding onto her beautiful smile, nods her head. “Yeah, I’m ready. Fuck society.”
Test Flights
Chapter Nineteen
~ Tessa ~
“Wow, you look incredible,” the nice, young man says as I take a seat across from him. We’re eating at Michele’s in Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and I couldn’t be more nervous.
The man seated in front of me wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans, is Eric Saur. He’s in the Air Force, and he asked me out after seeing me at Target. He’s an attractive guy. Sort of skinny with thin, silver glasses and hair that’s cut really short. Typical military look. He seems a little nerdy, but so am I, so when he asked for my number, I decided I’d at least give it a shot. Now that I’m here, I don’t know what to expect, but I'm an open book right now and ready to take on new challenges and learn all about what I want. So, my eyes and mind will be wide open tonight.
“I can’t believe you actually said yes,” Eric says once I’m seated and comfortable.
“Oh? Why’s that?” I ask, before ordering a glass of water from the waiter.
“You’re just so beautiful, that’s all,” Eric answers, staring me in the eye as if he wants to make sure I notice his compliment. “I didn’t think someone who looks like you would go for someone who looks like me.”
I frown, because I’m not big on people who fish for compliments by putting themselves down.
“Umm, okay,” I mutter, before speaking up. “You look fine, Eric. So, what’s life like in the Air Force?”
At the mention of his career, Eric sits up straight and gains a few notches of confidence.
“Well, I’m an engineer for the Civil Engineer Squadron,” Eric says, and I immediately think of Missy’s husband, who’s also an engineer, but not in the military. He’s a civilian who works for the Air Force Base. “My job is to help design construction and maintenance