“Come on son, it is time to wake up.”
I opened my eyes slowly as I felt the sunlight shining down upon me through the windows. It made me smile a bit before groggily sitting up straight. “Morning Dad,” I said. The sun shone brightly over us, bathing both of our faces in its light in my bedroom.
Standing near my open doorway of the bedroom is Doctor Sol, a mutant and psychiatrist working for a mental asylum. He is also a good man for adopting me as his own son, although he has been known to be a philanthropist who is kind enough to care about the poor or those that are mentally ill without any prejudice whatsoever.
He wore a grey coat and scarf with a pair of dark grey pants, making him look like an ordinary humanoid man from the outside. His mutated head is what sticks out the most, shaped like a mix of bat and unknown animal skull. But despite this, he was still able to fit into society despite being taboo for mutants to be working in professional fields.
“So, dad, ready to get to work?” I asked, stretching my arms above my head. My bedroom, however, looked much more spacious and messier than usual, because of how lazy I am during weekends.
“As soon as we finish breakfast Adam,” Sol replied with a nod about going through the kitchen. I followed after him, taking loud steps from the stairs and into the dining room where he sat at one of the chairs. Sol then took the initiative to make a nice and hearty meal for us to eat, which consists of bacon, eggs, toast, cereal and orange juice to drink.
Sol is a sophisticated and kind man as he always takes great pride in cooking for me when I visit home. Though, there is a slight awkwardness between father and son whenever we speak to each other. Because he is an excellent medical doctor and good adoptive father.
“Adam, my son; how did it go with your previous therapy session from the other day?” He calmly asks, while cutting off some pieces of bread for himself. “Did you manage to help your patient with their mental issues?”
I sighed heavily and put down my knife and fork onto my plate. There were no real answers or solutions for all the patients I have treated over the years, some always end up coming back to me sooner or later with even worse problems because of their inescapable environment.Most of them suffer from something that was not supposed to happen to anyone, let alone someone as young and healthy as themselves.
In the end, I always have cured their symptoms but never truly solved anything. It is hard enough trying to keep the world sane without having to deal with this madness on top of it. No wonder so many people are crazy these days…
I put a forced smile, not wanting him to worry about me too much. “Yes, my previous patient has been doing well lately,” I said simply as I took another sip from my orange juice. Sol nods with satisfaction and relaxes his shoulders. Thank God for the momentary peace.
He sits up straight and resumes eating, while occasionally looking around at our home’s interior. “You know, Adam…” He started after finishing off a piece of toast. “It would be nice if you got out more often.”
No, absolutely not. I have no interest nor time to make some friends and do those stupid activities that some other young adults get involved in. Besides, I am happy just living my life by myself like I am now, helping patients to deal with their psychological issues. Its a damn good job, thank you very much!
Sol then chuckles softly before continuing. “I mean, you are not getting any younger either. You are already twenty years old but you should try to meet new people outside our workplace, perhaps date and have children someday.”
Gee dad, great advice. But he does not understand the nature of my work. Even though I still love him and he knows what he believes is best for me, I cannot help but be annoyed at topics like this that come up whenever we talk. It is as if he thinks he can fix everything with some simple advice. What father thinks he knows better than his own son?
“Dad, please do not lecture me again on these things,” I said, taking another sip from my glass with an annoyed expression. “As much as you think your advice could benefit others in dealing with their problems, it does not really help them. And additionally, I have never had the desire or need to do all those things.”
A sad sigh escaped from his lips, “I know son…I know, but sometimes, I just want to see you smile and laugh. To be happy. Just for one day, to forget about the pain and suffering you went through in life because of her.”
I gritted my teeth with anger and shock, sweating profusely when he mentioned Lilith. The woman who took away so much happiness from me, that was left a gaping hole inside of me as if someone ripped out my heart. Her name alone brings back memories, nightmares and anguish that made it hard to sleep every night.
“Dad, don’t ever bring her up!” I shouted angrily while clenching the edges of my table with white knuckles. “She has nothing to do with me anymore! She betrayed me and everyone else she knew in this world.”
Sol’s face became shocked at hearing those words as he looked down upon me with concern written all over his face. “Adam…” He said softly, shaking his head with sorrowful eyes. “I’m sorry I brought it up…”
Shit dad, this is making me feel guilty. I should be more careful of not hurting his feelings, seeing him like this does not suit me right. But damn, how many times did I try to tell him that I did not care about what happened in the past. How long must he hear the same thing before believing it? Or perhaps he does believe me but cannot get himself to let go of the past because of his concern and worry about my upbringing?
“Sorry dad, I hope I did not upset you too much,” I said with an apologetic tone in my voice. “But please, don’t mention her again, it makes me feel uncomfortable.”
He nodded as he put down his glass and rubbed his hands together nervously. His hands were trembling as though they were cold even after being inside the warm room. Sol then his head with an understanding expression on his face, “No son, don’t apologize. I always bring her up because of how concerned I am about you. I do not want to lose you because of that unpleasant person who took your innocence away.”
I exhaled deeply, trying to calm myself down as I felt my body going numb from stress. My father is so caring and loving, and I love him to death because of that. “I understand dad, but let us talk about something else, okay? Like going to work?” I said with a smile, brightening his mood for now at least.
Sol smiled back as he nodded. “Yeah, we should. Although son, wearing a shirt with tie is good and all, but you also need a lab coat to be recognized as one of the staff.” He paused, looking around as if expecting someone or some supernatural presence. “And maybe an ID card…”
Nah, I do not need an ID card. I can just convince the guards to let me in with my psychology skills. “Dad, why don’t you get my laboratory coat instead? It is in the closet in my bedroom upstairs,” I suggested.
“What about your ID card son?” He frowned as he tried to recall where the hell it was stored, but apparently could not find any trace of it. “You know, like police officer have their badges…?”
Actually, I have already thrown it since I never used them it. But still, I already know a badge is required when entering certain restricted areas.
“Nope, I don’t need it dad,” I lied. “I will only wear it if I am working on the floor.” As long as I am not doing anything dangerous to people’s lives, I won’t even bother having an ID card. The moment the thought came into my mind is because there were many times in the past where I had been caught and had to convince them not to kick me out. This time, I want things to go smoothly and to make this whole thing easy for everyone involved. “Now please hurry up and get me my lab coat before you start worrying too much.”
Sol nodded with a smile, standing up from his chair as he headed upstairs to my bedroom while I waited patiently by the chair. After several minutes, Sol returned downstairs with the lab coat over his arm. “Here ya go, Adam,” he said happily, handing it over to me.
I took the lab coat, admiring the design of the fabric before slipping it on. It was made of soft cotton that felt warm against my skin.
“Thanks dad,” I smiled brightly at him, pleased with how kind and considerate he is.
He chuckled, patting my back lightly. “Oh no, son, you are more than welcome. Now, we should get going, the car isn’t going to keep itself running forever.” With that, he headed toward the door. I followed right behind him, heading outside the house and then towards the open garage where Dad’s car is parked. The vehicle looked like any ordinary boring and average car as far as looks went, but when it comes to speed; it was nothing short of awesome. It could easily reach a top speed of 180 miles per hour on the snowy streets without sliding.
“Dad, don’t forget your driving license,” I reminded him as he reached into his pocket for the small plastic card. He frowned in response before pulling it out and holding it up to me so I could see the picture of himself smiling broadly with eyes opened under the words ‘Dr. Sol.’
I nodded with approval, making sure everything was alright before opening the driver side door. As soon as the lock popped open, I got inside and sat down on the passenger as I placed the seat belt around me. Then I watched with boring anticipation as Dad started up the engine and backed out of our garage.
The morning sky, endless amounts of falling snow and cars passing by along the streets. The weather was cold and unforgiving just like any other day, but it did not bother me one bit. Everyone born in this world has already adjusted to the environment, especially when most wear winter clothes when going outside for weekends or other things.
He pulled off the driveway and onto the street, making his way toward the highway that leads to the freeway. His car accelerated quickly and smoothly as he drove us through city traffic, while I admired the scenery of the snowfall all around us. Eventually we reached an exit ramp and made a U-turn; the road ahead has some vehicles driving about but not much. We headed back northbound, taking care to drive slower than usual because of the slippery roads.
As we drive in silence, tall buildings and occupied sidewalks in New York City is what surrounded my view from the windows of our car. Crime is common in bad neighborhoods and shady areas, which is why people tend to avoid them unless they have business there. But for me, all these people going on their daily lives hold dark secrets and hidden dangers that could be lurking at any corner.
I am able to make quick and accurate judgements from glancing at any of the passing drivers and people on the sidewalks through analyzing their appearance. I can tell that some are good, but many others appear troubled, lost or broken as if life had beaten them down. Some even look angry or hostile due to something that happened recently, perhaps.
However, most of all, I can draw conclusions about their past or personality, based on the clothing they wear and how it fits them. Their style tells a lot about who these individuals truly are, helps me with diagnosing my patients of their mental health problems.
