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One of my first clients was a young woman. She can't have been more than twenty, but she looked so much younger, like a child in many ways. Her eyes were vulnerable, like a deer, chased by the wolf. They were hazy, like part of her soul wasn't there. She had a melancholic touch to her face, and she spoke quietly, as if afraid that her words would do harm.
   "Thank you for seeing me."
   "Of course." I looked at her sympathetically. What had brought this young one to me? "How can I help you?"
   "I just…I don't know. I needed someone to talk to, and people have said…they've said that you're good at that. Talking to. They said you could help me."
   I nodded. "I will do what I can. Tell me why you're here."
   The girl took a deep breath. She still wouldn't look at me. "It's…this guy. It's going to sound silly. Maybe I should go…"
   "No, no. Nothing within these walls is silly. I will listen to you, whatever you have to say. Please, share your story with me."
   The young woman looked up at me hastily, then cast her eyes down again. "OK…" She took another deep breath. "It's this guy. I know him since many years back. Or I did…we were friends, long time ago. Then he decided to travel, and…well, we lost touch. It was so long ago."
   "And what has happened?"
   "He came back. I met him. Coincidence really, it shouldn't have happened. But there he was, in the mall. Lots of people around. And he told me…"
She fell silent again. Tears were trickling down her face, crystal ones, only a few. She sobbed quietly. I said nothing, not wanting to push her to talk.
   "He said…he thought I would've been beautiful. That I would've grown up to be this gorgeous woman. And then he said…that he'd been wrong. He said I didn't live up to his expectations at all. He looked so…baffled. Genuinely surprised. And that's when I realized that I wasn't good enough. I know now how people really look at me. Just like he does. I'm a bad person, an ugly woman, and I can't take the burden of this knowledge. I just can't."
   For a moment I said nothing. It was wrong, I should have assured her she was beautiful, but I was baffled by her story. She was not a typical beauty, true, but ugly? Not at all. I had never seen eyes like hers before. I looked at her, tried to catch these eyes, but she would not look up at me.
   "Listen to me, Leyla. You are not a bad person. You don't need to-"
   "Don't need to let him get to me, right? It's just one guy. One guy that I haven't even met in years, so why do I let him do this to me? I know. But it's so true. He represents the entire world. I don't know how to cope."
   "You will cope. And one day you will realize that you have a very unique beauty. And you will shine. This, I can tell."
   Leyla continued to sob. She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes.
   "I want to tell you something," I continued. "Once, there was a girl like you. Her name was Leslie, and she doubted herself much like you do. She was convinced that no one would ever love her, that she was all alone in this world. One day, she took her own life. She left so many mourners in her wake. People that had come to adore her in her short lifespan. They all gathered around her grave and began to doubt themselves in the same way. It was like ripples on water. One stone was tossed into the quiet surface, and chaos began to stir chaos. Leslie's death caused unhappiness to spread where the joy she had once brought had lay hidden. Too many lives were shattered that day.
   'Leyla, you and Leslie are one and the same. You are both caring and wonderful women, but who for one reason or another cannot see this. As long as you live, people around you will thrive. As will you one day. Your destiny is not to end up like Leslie. You can go so far. I promise you."
   This time, Leyla looked up at me. Her eyes were still wet from tears, but there was just a tiny glimmer of hope in them. "I'm…like Leslie?"
   "Just like her."
   And then, a tiny smile. Crooked, brief, and gone within a second, but there it was.

Leyla said goodbye to me and thanked me for listening and advising her. I knew I had not cured her doubts. She had a long way to go before she believed me. However, the spark of hope I saw in her eyes were enough payment. She would cross that dark tunnel and bask in the light on the far side. Of this, I had no doubt.

Description
One of my first clients was a young woman. She can't have been more than twenty, but she looked so much younger, like a child in many ways. Her eyes were vulnerable, like a deer, chased by the wolf. They were hazy, like part of her soul wasn't there. She had a melancholic touch to her face, and she spoke quietly, as if afraid that her words would do harm.
   "Thank you for seeing me."
   "Of course." I looked at her sympathetically. What had brought this young one to me? "How can I help you?"
   "I just…I don't know. I needed someone to talk to, and people have said…they've said that you're good at that. Talking to. They said you could help me."
   I nodded. "I will do what I can. Tell me why you're here."
   The girl took a deep breath. She still wouldn't look at me. "It's…this guy. It's going to sound silly. Maybe I should go…"
   "No, no. Nothing within these walls is silly. I will listen to you, whatever you have to say. Please, share your story with me."
   The young woman looked up at me hastily, then cast her eyes down again. "OK…" She took another deep breath. "It's this guy. I know him since many years back. Or I did…we were friends, long time ago. Then he decided to travel, and…well, we lost touch. It was so long ago."
   "And what has happened?"
   "He came back. I met him. Coincidence really, it shouldn't have happened. But there he was, in the mall. Lots of people around. And he told me…"
She fell silent again. Tears were trickling down her face, crystal ones, only a few. She sobbed quietly. I said nothing, not wanting to push her to talk.
   "He said…he thought I would've been beautiful. That I would've grown up to be this gorgeous woman. And then he said…that he'd been wrong. He said I didn't live up to his expectations at all. He looked so…baffled. Genuinely surprised. And that's when I realized that I wasn't good enough. I know now how people really look at me. Just like he does. I'm a bad person, an ugly woman, and I can't take the burden of this knowledge. I just can't."
   For a moment I said nothing. It was wrong, I should have assured her she was beautiful, but I was baffled by her story. She was not a typical beauty, true, but ugly? Not at all. I had never seen eyes like hers before. I looked at her, tried to catch these eyes, but she would not look up at me.
   "Listen to me, Leyla. You are not a bad person. You don't need to-"
   "Don't need to let him get to me, right? It's just one guy. One guy that I haven't even met in years, so why do I let him do this to me? I know. But it's so true. He represents the entire world. I don't know how to cope."
   "You will cope. And one day you will realize that you have a very unique beauty. And you will shine. This, I can tell."
   Leyla continued to sob. She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes.
   "I want to tell you something," I continued. "Once, there was a girl like you. Her name was Leslie, and she doubted herself much like you do. She was convinced that no one would ever love her, that she was all alone in this world. One day, she took her own life. She left so many mourners in her wake. People that had come to adore her in her short lifespan. They all gathered around her grave and began to doubt themselves in the same way. It was like ripples on water. One stone was tossed into the quiet surface, and chaos began to stir chaos. Leslie's death caused unhappiness to spread where the joy she had once brought had lay hidden. Too many lives were shattered that day.
   'Leyla, you and Leslie are one and the same. You are both caring and wonderful women, but who for one reason or another cannot see this. As long as you live, people around you will thrive. As will you one day. Your destiny is not to end up like Leslie. You can go so far. I promise you."
   This time, Leyla looked up at me. Her eyes were still wet from tears, but there was just a tiny glimmer of hope in them. "I'm…like Leslie?"
   "Just like her."
   And then, a tiny smile. Crooked, brief, and gone within a second, but there it was.

Leyla said goodbye to me and thanked me for listening and advising her. I knew I had not cured her doubts. She had a long way to go before she believed me. However, the spark of hope I saw in her eyes were enough payment. She would cross that dark tunnel and bask in the light on the far side. Of this, I had no doubt.