the physical therapist’s office, she was pleasantly surprised to see how nice everyone was to her. They all made her feel welcome. After filling out some papers, she was shown to a room where her therapist would meet her. The woman at the front desk informed Alessa he was the best therapist they had and if she followed his advice, she would be back on her feet quickly.
Alessa had been waiting for a few minutes when a tall man with blue eyes and light brown hair entered. He extended his long arm and took her hand in his.
“You must be Alessa,” he said. “I’m Remo, and I’ll be working with you to get you moving and feeling better than you ever did.”
Alessa liked him immediately. There was an air of confidence about him, and he exuded compassion. Remo watched her as she pushed through her pain and tried her best to acquire movement in her leg. His heart went out to her. She was an attractive girl, built beautifully, but her eyes were far older than the rest of her. He was intrigued and impressed by her drive and determination. Even though she told him that the very thought of therapy intimidated her, once Alessa started, she gave it her all.
Alessa, too, was pleasantly surprised by her impression of Remo. She felt safe with him. She trusted that he would be supportive and that she could count on him to help her recover. As the hours wore on, they talked effortlessly and shared details about their lives during their therapy session. They would spend a lot of time together over the next three months, and so, Alessa figured she’d better settle in and get acquainted with him.
Remo had been born in the city and raised by his foster parents, Patrick and Hannah. He regularly volunteered at homeless shelters, providing light physical therapy to some of their residents. He and Alessa had a similar sense of humor, and neither of them had ever been in a serious relationship. Like her, he was aiming for a better life and had gone to college to become a physical therapist. His childhood had been normal, and his foster parents had eventually adopted him. He loved them both dearly and had dinner with them at least once a week. Remo lived alone and liked to do almost everything for himself. He even cooked his own dinner.
Though Remo had disclosed a great deal about himself, Alessa found herself at a loss for words when asked about her background.
Alessa’s gaze shifted around the room. She hesitated for as long as possible. “Well, my childhood wasn’t exactly great. It was really hard, actually, and I’d rather not talk about it.”
She was petrified he would be repulsed if he knew the truth. Remo was wise for his years and figured Alessa would eventually tell him her story but was content to have her focus on her recovery for now. Often, he had to spend time getting many of his patients psyched up to work hard on their therapy, but with Alessa, that was unnecessary. With no prompting from him, she would launch herself into her therapy, gritting her teeth to get her through the pain. He had discovered what a strong person she was and by the end of their first session was glad she had been assigned to him.
Remo hadn’t been told much about Alessa’s history, other than that she had been victim to some kind of an attack that had injured her badly. He figured it couldn’t be domestic violence since she had told him about never having been in a serious relationship. Remo was respectful of people’s privacy and knew if she wanted to tell him more, she would.
Over time, Alessa shared bits of her life. She told Remo she and her little sister, Lucy, lived together. “It’s public housing,” she said. “We’ll only be there long enough for me to get a degree and find a good-paying job. I applied for financial aid, and I am trying to go to community college.”
Remo was impressed and curious about her now. She was young, raising her sister on her own, and had aspirations that would, if fulfilled, allow her to flee a life dependent on welfare. After a week of therapy, the two had become friends. They talked about everything—except Alessa’s past.
Ebby had noticed that the girl was now paying a great deal of attention to her appearance before going to her therapy sessions. She would fuss over her hair until it was just right and even bought herself a couple of new outfits, which she wore to her sessions.
***
Two weeks later, Ebby was driving Alessa to her therapy session. They had stopped at a red light when she looked over at Alessa and gave her a smirk.
“What? What are you smirking at?” Alessa asked her, a grin breaking through.
“Oh, I don’t know. Looks to me like you might have a crush on Remo. After all, new outfits, hair, and makeup,” Ebby teased.
Alessa pretended to be shocked. “Oh, I do not! What’s wrong with wanting to look good?”
Ebby patted her hand. “Absolutely nothing, sweetie. I wanted to point out that it isn’t going unnoticed—either by me or by him, I’m sure.”
Alessa fixed her eyes on the front windshield. “Yeah, maybe so,” she mused worriedly. “But I haven’t told him about my past, and he thinks Lucy is my sister. Once he finds out about everything, he won’t care how good I look.”
Ebby shook her head. “Don’t be so sure about that,” she told her. “I met him, too, you know. This one is different. I think maybe he’s one of the few good guys left. So you better snatch him up while you can.”
“Yeah, right. Whatever you say, Ebby. You’re so delusional. Men like Remo don’t want to be with a woman like me. I swear, sometimes you’re so clueless. Don’t you know I’m destined to attract every jackass in Pennsylvania?” Alessa grinned, turning the whole thing into a joke.
Ebby became serious. “No, Alessa,” she said. “You aren’t destined to be with a jackass. You have traveled a rocky road so far and you deserve better. You’re unique, and I think you’re very courageous. Once you believe in yourself, so will others. It’s called confidence.”
She drove the rest of the way in silence. Alessa did not speak either. Ebby pulled up in front of Remo’s office.
“Go get ’em, tiger,” Ebby growled.
She laughed at Ebby’s optimism about her future, her belief that the future held good things for her—that Alessa was something more than she believed herself to be.
