Joaquin Horacio

He’d only meant to get a coffee… a coffee, then straight back to the law firm. Now he was standing in the middle of the city, smiling at a man who’d tried to kill him a few days earlier... he’d hit him with his car back then… accidentally, the second time, less accidentally. But he’d assumed the man was drawing a gun, and now… apparently, he’d only been reaching into his jacket for his phone.

Yes… he can walk again... obviously, I’m pleased, although I would have preferred to hear about it from his lawyer first.

His smile widened a little as the man stopped across the street. He’d recognised Joaquin… there was no sensible reason to assume it was someone else when you’d been run over twice by the same Mercedes.

My therapist advised me to look at situations like this differently… reframing. I’m not supposed to immediately assume something terrible is about to happen. Maybe he just wants to talk… my insurance company would appreciate his details anyway.

He took a slow breath… still smiling., he’d recommended that too. Make a conscious effort to smile, even when you didn’t feel like it… well, he really didn’t feel like it right now. The man reached into his jacket, and Joaquin’s gaze dropped to his hand… then he cleared his throat and shook his head slightly.

“I’d like to wait and see what he pulls out this time… but my car’s just over there.”

At my next session, I really should mention that I now spend all my time talking to someone… who apparently isn’t there… sometimes even out loud.

And so he made a move to escape… cheating death yet again...definitely not a good start to the morning.