"Sam, I’m not the Gestapo. I’m not here to force information or a confession from you. I’m here to help you, if you want me to. I’m not going to force you to say or do or behave in anyway that is remotely uncomfortable for you." Sam eyed the nun suspiciously.

"So, I only have to say what I want to?" she asked. Sister Margaret nodded again.

"Right. Although if there is an issue that I think needs to be addressed I will try to shepherd us in that direction. But if you’re not ready then we’ll move on to something else." Sister Margaret watched as Sam visibly relaxed somewhat.

"So, you’re not going to try and change me, `fix’ me, or make me `normal’?"

"Sam, normal is a relative term open to personal interpretation. What’s normal for one person may not be for another. So no, I’m not going to do any of those things. I’m here to help you deal with your anger and depression and hopefully find a way to be happy," Sister Margaret explained.

"OK," Sam said warily, still a bit suspicious. "I saw a shrink a while back when my Mom and Mike asked Brooke and I to go."

"Mike was going to be your stepfather, correct?" Sam nodded. "And Brooke is his daughter and…"

"My lover," Sam said without hesitation. She arched an eyebrow at the nun and gave her a lopsided smirk. "Does that bother you? That I’m gay?" Sister Margaret returned the arched eyebrow.

"Are you trying to shock me, Sam? Because you’re going to have to do better than that to succeed. Trust me, there isn’t anything that you can say that I haven’t already heard."

"Besides," she continued. "My religious views or opinions hold no baring on your life. They are MY beliefs, not yours. And I will not push then upon you. That’s not why you’re here."

"OK, cool," Sam nodded. That made her feel a lot better.

"So your parents sent the two of you to therapy because of your relationship?"

"Yeah. And the guy wasn’t interested in helping us. Neither were Mom or Mike. All they wanted was to change us, `fix’ us. You know, stop our relationship because they felt it was wrong," Sam began.