A redhead can be seen in an office, sitting quietly on a low sofa. She appears lost in thought as her fingers flex and knit together in nervousness. The door cracks open which has Sam Marlowe jumping slightly with a nervous laugh.
“I am sorry miss,” says the woman who pushes a pair of horn rimmed glasses up her nose while she turns to close the door of the office. “I am Doctor Evans and what brings you in today?”
Sam brings her fingers together for a moment before setting her hands on either side of her legs as she offers a smile at the doctor. “I was told to find someone to talk to about what is going on with me. I have been rather troubled lately…”
Seating herself in the chair near the sofa, the doctor opens a book and picking up a pen, she looks at Sam. “Daddy issues?” the doctor inquires with a slight tilt of her head to which Sam looks surprised. Quickly shaking her head, Sam is about to say something but the doctor continues. “If it isn’t daddy issues, then does it involve a man?”
“Gosh no,” says Sam as she brings a hand up to brush her hair behind her ear. “I have a boyfriend and everything is great with us. My problem is lack of confidence and well, if I am honest, my sister.” Sam rolls her eyes slowly as the doctor writes in the book.
“Tell me what the problem with your sister is and why it is affecting you,” offers the doctor as Sam begins to fidget again.
“All my life, my sister has been the one that has always gotten the attention and the one who’s shadow I have been fighting to get out of,” begins Sam. “She is the one that I have had to listen to about my career and I can’t help but validate her opinions when I lose…”
“Lose? Lose what may I ask?”
Sam looks up at the doctor before shaking her head and lightly hitting it with her finger against her temple. “Oh, I am sorry, I forgot to tell you who I am. I am Samantha Marlowe and I am a wrestler with Sin City Wrestling. My sister Cyn puts me down so much that when I lose it sends me spiralling into a place that is really dark. Then I pull myself up with a few wins until she once more sends me downward. And it doesn’t help that she took my boyfriend…”
The doctor is making notes, the occasional hum escaping her which prompts Sam to talk more.
“Now it seems when it comes to facing people in the ring, I am not in the right mind to think that I can do it,” says Sam. “But now I want to get back into the right frame of mind and well Camo suggested I find someone to talk to…”
“And Camo is?” demands the doctor.
“He’s my boyfriend,” says Sam before she notices the doctor’s eyebrow raise slighty. “Oh no,” she adds holding up her hand. “He isn’t the one that she stole. He is my strongest supporter and he is great. He was he one that suggested I come and see you to help with my confidence. He thinks that maybe if I talk out where I am that it will help me not get into my head and lose the match before I even get into the ring.”
The doctor writes something and then looks up at the redhead to offer her a smile. “So Ms Marlowe, talk to me about why you think that I can help you. After all, I am more to counsel people on mental health issues, not give people a pep talk.”
Sam thinks a moment and then leans forward to speak almost confidentially. “I think that Camo thinks that if I talk out my worries, then I will get some advice that will block out the naysaying that I seem to hear in my mind. That tiny little drawl of my sister Cyn in the back of my mind that tells me that I am going to lose.”
“You do have the ability to not listen to that voice Ms Marlowe…may I call you Samantha?” asks the doctor.
“Sam please, if you use Samantha I will think that I am in trouble,” replies Sam with a laugh.
“Fine then Sam, tell me what has you worried,” asks the doctor.
“Well, take this week for instance,” offers Sam. “I have a match on Climax Control against…”
“Wait, Climax Control…sounds kinky,” mutters the doctor as she makes a note.
“No, it isn’t what you think,” says Sam, her eyes widening. “That is just the name of the show. But this week, I am facing Char Kwan who has been in SCW for a while but was more of a tag team person. She has changed though. She is all of a sudden different, like a cross between a mean girl and someone that is all talk and not action but wants people to think she is. I don’t know if I am explaining it all that well.”
The doctor looks at Sam and nods slowly with a half smile. “I think I understand. Continue please.”
“Char seems to think that she has something to prove and wants to prove it by beating me. Now I know that I am not doing really good lately with more losses than wins but I do have a reputation and well, a lot of people feel the need to bring me down to build themselves up. And lately they have been able to but this week I don’t want that to happen. So I have to go into the match with confidence. There isn’t anything that I can do different,” offers Sam. “I don’t want to be a stepping stone anymore. So I have to beat Char. I am just afraid that if I start to doubt myself again, she is going to get the better of me.”
“Sam, let me ask you a question,” says the doctor as she pulls the glasses from her nose. “Have you beaten people like this Char before?” Sam thinks for a moment then nods in the affirmative. The doctor continues. “What was it that helped to get those wins?”
“Well, I just walked into the ring with the idea that I was out to prove something,” begins Sam. “I was out to prove that no matter what my opponent said, I wasn’t a push over.”
“And do you not want to prove that against this Char?” demands the doctor with one raised eyebrow. “It seems to me that she is going to prove that she is better than you so in your shoes I would want to be prepared for that. Is there anything that you can focus on about Char?”
“I could focus on the fact that she isn’t really a singles wrestler,” muses Sam. “In this match she has no one that she can tag in to save her when she is tired or to save her from a loss. This is only her second singles match. And I am basically a singles wrestler who doesn’t tag with anyone…outside of the Blast for the Past tournament. So you could say that I have the advantage there because I only have to depend on myself. And I am also a former champion in the Bombshell division and Char hasn’t worn gold in SCW.”
“Just with that comment Sam, I think you just gave yourself the reason to believe that you are going to win this thing you have,” comments the doctor which gets a smile to cross Sam’s face as she begins to appear more confident.
“You are right Doc, I never thought of it that way,” replies Sam who rises from the couch. “Thanks Doctor, talking to you worked! I am so ready to win on Sunday…I think.”
“I am sure that you will given the way you are talking now Sam but I also think that we need to talk more so I am going to suggest that we meet a couple of more times to deal with the depression that you indicated you were suffering from. I want you to book a couple of appointments with my receptionist. But good luck this week Sam, we can talk about it next week.”
Sam heads to the door and stops to quickly turn around and smile at the doctor. The doctor returns the smile and waves as Sam exits the room. Outside of the office, Colton Myers can be seen leaning against a green Camaro where he is joined by Sam who leans up with a kiss to whisper thanks. Colton nods as he opens the door for Sam to slide into the car. He moves around to the driver’s side and once he gets in the car, he guns the engine and pulls away from the building to merge into traffic and disappear.
