Meeting With Mister

I walked into the large, spacious office and was immediately almost blinded by bright lights in the center of the room. I could vaguely make out a chair placed in the center of the lights. The door closing behind me made me jump. I twisted my hands together before heading towards the desk situated along the left side of the room. As I reached for the chair in front of the desk, a robotic voice came over a loudspeaker, making me jump.

“Sit in the circle.”

I slowly walked to the chair that had been placed in the center of the lights, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the brightness they exuded. I sat in the chair nervously.

“Hello?”

“State your name,” the voice ordered.

“Leah Shana Adams.”

“State your birthdate.”

“August 3rd, 1992.”

“State your maiden name.”

“Leah Shana McCoy.”

“State your social security number.”

I frowned. Why did he need to know that? Was this actually a cult that once I was in, I would lose all of myself, my belongings, and my identity?

“Why do you need to know that?”

“State your age.”

“31.”

“State your occupation.”

“Housewife.”

“State your religion.”

“Christian,” I said loudly, wondering again if this was a cult.

“State your social security number.”

“No. Can you turn these lights off? I can’t see anything.” I asked, a little afraid of my lack of sight.

The lights were cut off, allowing me to relax a little.

“State your social security number.”

I lowered my head as I thought about how to respond. What did I really want to accomplish here? Did I actually believe that I could achieve my goals here? And if I did, what was I willing to give up to reach my goals? I took a deep breath as my shoulders slumped a little.

“My name is Leah Shana Adams, formerly Leah Shana McCoy. My birthday is August 3rd, 1992. I am a 31-year-old Christian. I am a housewife because my husband would not allow me to do anything else except be at his beck and call. And my social security number is…” I paused before rattling it off. “My debit pin is 4548,” I said as I pulled my wallet out to throw it down in front of me. “I have no children, no pets, or even any property in my name. I have nothing to offer your community except a willingness to be present and do whatever I have to for personal growth. I have nowhere to go if you tell me to leave. I mean, I do, but I won’t go back there after what he did to me.”

I took a deep breath. “My husband brought another woman into our home, into our marital bed, before he raped me. There is nothing you can do to me that is worse than what he did. I only wanted to come here because I thought I could learn how to open up both in my everyday life and physically. I don’t want to look at men and think about how they could hurt me. I don’t want to be ashamed of what I see in the mirror every time I look into it. I want to be able to hold my head high, knowing that I didn’t stand for Will’s abuse. I’m not here for him. I’m here for myself. I know I can be better than I was. I want to be better than I currently am right now. I will be better than I am right now, with or without your help.”

After my emotional outburst, I waited anxiously for Mister to respond. I shifted uneasily in the chair, needing to move a little to dispel some of the energy inside of me.

“Proceed to the lobby and wait for my decision.”

I sighed as I got up from the chair. If I were him, I wouldn’t let me stay. I was too much of a disaster, and this community seemed like it was so well organized and put together. I made my way back out to where R.H.M. sat at his desk. As soon as I stepped out of the office doors, he smiled up at me.

“How’d it go?” He asked.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted softly.

“Why not? What happened?”

“I kind of screamed at him…”

His eyes widened. “You yelled at Mister?”

I threw my hands up in frustration. “I yelled and threw my wallet. Oh, God. My wallet. It’s still in there.”

I sank back in the chair with my hands over my face, starting to hyperventilate. A few moments later, my hands were gently lowered. I looked down at R.H.M., still sniffling a little.

“He’s going to send me home,” I whispered.

He tucked my hair behind my ear. “You don’t know that. Just breathe.”

“I do know,” I said defeatedly.

“You don’t. Think about what you’re going to call yourself when he allows you to stay, since he doesn’t allow us to use our real names,” he murmured softly.

I tilted my head as I looked into his eyes. “What would you name me?”

He sat back on his heels, grinning at me. “I’d call you sleepy, since that’s what you have done the most since I met you, but if I had to choose something else, I would choose…” He paused as he let his eyes run over my body. “Phoenix.”

“Why?” I asked, surprised.

“Because, Leah, you are at rock bottom right now, or so you think. I can see you clawing your way back to the top and coming out brand new. Reborn, if you will, just like a phoenix.” He smiled at me as his hand came to rest on my knee. “I won’t even mention how beautiful I think you are, just like a phoenix.”

I felt my cheeks heat up, and I knew that I was blushing. “I think you’re pretty handsome yourself,” I murmured almost silently.

“R.H.M., please escort Mrs. Adams back to the Adams’s house to collect her belongings. Her request to remain in the Garden of Eden has been declined.” The robotic voice came from a speaker on R.H.M.’s desk.

I lowered my head as disappointment crashed over me.

“I told you,” I whispered.

He squeezed my knee as he got up. “It’s going to be okay, Leah.”

I stood up. “I guess we should go.”

He nodded as he gently pulled me to my feet. He went to his desk and pulled something out of it, putting it in his pocket. I eyed him curiously.

“What is that?”

“A delivery. Are you ready?” He asked.

“Yeah, I guess. You should just take me to the gates. I already have everything that I have with me,” I told him.

“Mister wants you to go back to the house. You will not be allowed to leave it until I retrieve your vehicle for you.”

“Okay.”

I followed him out of the building, walking slowly behind him as I looked around. Nude men and women all milled around, chatting with each other or doing daily chores. I stopped to watch a woman dance around in the yard in front of a small cottage. R.H.M. came back to stand by my side.

“What’s on your mind, Princess?”

“She looks so free. Was she always that way?” I inquired.

“Rosemary, please come here,” he called out.

“Yes, R.H.M.? Did I do something wrong?” She asked.

“Can you explain to her how you were when you arrived? Along with why it is so important to you to be here.”

“My mother sent me here to learn how to please the man she sold me to. I was shy and didn’t want to be here. I was afraid of how this place would treat me. I thought I would just be locked in a basement, handcuffed to a pipe for men to use whenever they wanted. It’s not like that. The people here are actually really nice. They don’t touch you unless you are okay with it. Also, after you complete the program, you can choose to stay. I stayed. The love of my life is here,” she told me happily. “Mister is such a good guy. He uses this program to save people, not harm them. You’re going to love it here.”

“That will be all, Rosemary.”

She smiled at me before dancing off. I turned to R.H.M.

“Can you really choose to stay?”

“Yes.”

“Well, that really sucks,” I mumbled.

“Come on, Princess. Let’s go.”

After turning on the street where the house I had been staying in was located, I grabbed R.H.M.’s arm.

“Wait.”

He raised his eyebrow at me. “Yes?”

“I came here to prove to myself that I could be better, right?”

“Okay?”

“And even though I am being told to leave, I can still take the opportunity to face one of my fears while I’m here, right?” I asked.

“I suppose so…” He answered slowly.

I took a deep breath. “Here we go…”