Microstory 2542: Massage Therapist

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I have been a massage therapist for thirty-eight years. I’ve always lived in Springfield, Kansas, and the surrounding areas, working most of my career for the SKS Massage Institute. I honestly don’t know why I was picked to be Landis Tipton’s exclusive masseuse. I think what happened is that the people who run the Foundation looked at our website, and chose me due to my somewhat advanced age. It might not have specifically been because I have so much experience, but because I’m not as spry as I used to be. Well, I should say that it used to be like that. I was having trouble keeping up, and not being able to make my hours. It was hard to afford rent because I just couldn’t work that much anymore. What with my arthritis, and general aches and pains, I don’t wanna say that my clients weren’t happy, but I did notice a few of them come back, but having chosen one of the younger therapists instead this time. After I met Landis, that all changed. So it’s a little ironic that now I’m only working for one client, because I could absolutely go back to work full-time, and feel just fine. What some people may not know is that Landis does not engage his ability. His breath is able to heal anyone who happens to be in the blast radius, so to speak. By working so close to him, that happens to me all the time. I know that he works closely with other team members, like his doctor, nurse, and his assistant, but as far as physical closeness, I’m probably the winner. It’s impossible to quantify, but he has probably healed me thousands of times at this point. He has a session every evening after dinner, which is after work. Unlike a lot of my past clients, he doesn’t need it for any particular problems. He’s a healer, and naturally a self-healer, so he isn’t suffering from anything. This is all about relaxation, and stress reduction. He’s being pampered, and rightly so, and I’m a core component of that. After I’m done with him, he moves onto his night job with the legacy department. He’s been honest with me that he doesn’t love it. I mean, he enjoys it, but it feels so clinical, and he doesn’t have any strong feelings for those women. It really is a job, and that is always how they have framed it. He didn’t really want to do it, but they talked him into it, because it’s one way he can change the world. With me, he wasn’t reluctant. Evidently, he used to get a lot of massages before all this, and appreciates being able to have one every day. I want to be clear about one thing, and then I won’t say anything more about it. I am a professional, and I have a professional relationship with my client, as I have throughout my entire career, with every single one of my clients. Even if I did ever do that sort of thing that’s running through your head, Landis wouldn’t need it, because of his second job. In fact, it would place that program in danger. Anyway, I count myself lucky that my job is so easy. I have lots of hobbies, and they mostly work great indoors. I like to knit and do other arts and crafts. They actually assigned me two separate suites, right next door to each other, almost all to myself. The second bedroom of my sleeping unit is a craft room, and the other room in my work unit is actually where the psychological therapist works with Landis, who is her one client too. It’s the Therapy Suite, as we call it. It makes sense to us to put them together like that. Saves time.

Microstory 2541: Therapist

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When I was still in high school, I took a job working at a university as a Therapy Actor. Students, before they can earn their degree in some type of therapy, have to participate in mock therapy sessions. To protect real patients from those who don’t quite know what they’re doing yet, the school will pay actors to come in, and pretend to have particular issues, so the students can learn. At the time, I thought that I was going to get into acting, so I figured it was a great opportunity. While I was there, however, I found myself more interested in the work that they were doing. I was never planning on ending my education, and moving to L.A. to try to make it big. I would go to college first, and get some real education in the performing arts. I figured I would take some psychology classes as well, so I had something to fall back on. I never did end up pursuing acting. I mean, I took a couple courses too, but psychology became my passion instead. I haven’t looked back. The timing was perfect. As soon as I earned my own master’s degree, Landis and his friends were setting up his foundation. I thought it would be the perfect chance to get in on the ground floor of something groundbreaking and unique. They didn’t really lie—I think they didn’t know how they were going to do it yet—but I was under the impression that I would be the resident therapist for the whole organization. They really only wanted me for Landis himself, as well as maybe a few other clients. I don’t do much throughout the day. Because of how much focus I have to place on him, I can’t pursue other work. I can’t even leave the hotel. I’m not a prisoner, but they really like to keep me close, even though I’ve never been called in for an emergency session, or anything. Landis is a pretty easy client. We mostly talk about his past, before all of these responsibilities. We do it over dinner, which kind of makes it look like a date, but it’s only in the interest of time. We kind of do it as friends, which is a very common form of therapy. Some people need that type of format. They don’t really need to be treated. They need to vent, and they would rather their therapist be able to open up to them a little too. As long as you maintain boundaries, that’s okay, and that’s what works for us. I’m paid to be one guy’s friend, and the rest of the day is for me. I didn’t have any hobbies going into this, because I was always so focused on my studies, but I’ve gotten into arts and crafts. My suitemate got me into it. It passes the time.