Synopsis
Step one was to blend her truth within the lines of fictional paragraphs. Step two was to let go as she revealed the truth between those lines. Now, at step three, she stands at a crossroad. Determined to rise above her past self entirely— she takes a leap of faith by sharing her deepest and darkest secrets vocally for the first time as a guest speaker at the OutReach Rehabilitation Center.
Within its walls, the lives of Brylee and her group members intertwine, causing their struggles, decisions, and opinions to collide. Can they genuinely listen to one another after discovering unexpected connections amid the tension, anger, and tears?
Join us on a journey of redemption and self-discovery, where empathy and understanding are critical to their transformation. In "From Dull to Divine," you'll witness how one woman's courage and vulnerability can lead to a profound metamorphosis, inspiring us all to embrace our path toward growth and healing.
1. Thriving
It was seven-thirty in the morning, and the spring air smelled fresh yet moist as I stepped out of the Detroit MGM Grand Hotel to wait for my car service. The birds were chirping, and the sun was beaming across my cheekbones and nose. As I slowly gazed around, savoring the familiarity of my surroundings—the essence of a state I once called home was so comforting.
"Excuse me, Ms. Splaine," a gentleman inquired.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"I'm Kevin, your driver for the day."
"Of course, duh! My apologies—you caught me in the midst of daydreaming," I chuckled.
"It's okay, Ma'am. Right this way," as he directed me to the limousine's rear passenger-side door.
As soon as I turned around to get in, I could sense his eyes scanning over my entire body. I wasn't offended; after all, I finished first. And, darling, he was fine. Needless to say, it only seemed appropriate to give him a flirtatious smirk and a "thank you kindly" once I was seated.
He graced me with a shy but seductive laugh and responded, "You're welcome, Ma'am," before gently shutting my door.
I don't know why, but there's something oddly satisfying about knowingly catching someone's eye. So, I couldn't help but enjoy watching Mr. Kevin try to regain his composure before getting in. To add fuel to the fire, he couldn't stop staring at me through the rearview mirror as I did my makeup check. The petty in me decided to playfully wink at him before gently closing my portable mirror and signaling him to drive off.
"Yes, Ma'am," he nervously responded as he began to exit the hotel parking lot.
Surprisingly, the car ride was short, smooth, and quiet. I thought he would talk my ear off the whole time, but he remained professional. Let me rephrase that—his mouth was silent; his eyes were vocal.
As a result, I kept quiet because I did not want to lead him on any further. It's always best to tread lightly with men nowadays—especially if you're not genuinely interested in them. Technically, you have to be careful with either sex because people generally lack several crayons from the Crayola box, if you catch my drift.
"Ma'am, we've arrived," announced the driver, Kevin.
"Thank you kindly. I just need a moment to gather myself first."
"No problem, Ma'am. Take your time. I'll wait outside your door."
I sat there for a second while leaning back against the headrest, just staring at the entrance doors. The reality of what I was about to do was finally sinking in, causing my nerves to go completely haywire. To steady myself, I began reciting soothing mantras and taking deep breaths to escape my racing thoughts. Eventually, I rolled down my window and said, "Okay, I'm ready," as I grabbed my purse.
"Right this way," he responded, opening the door.
"Thank you again," I graciously uttered as I exited the limousine.
"Ma'am, my roster states that I'm supposed to return for pickup at 4:00 p.m. Is this correct?"
"Yes, and if anything changes, I'll have my assistant contact you."
The perfectionist in me wouldn't let me walk away without checking my outfit, hair, and makeup in the limousine's windows to ensure everything was in place.
"Ma'am, you look just fine."
"Well, thank you, sir, but a woman's job is never truly done."
"From the looks of it, your job is, but you're welcome, and I hope you have a good day."
I smiled and waved goodbye, charmed by his attempt to keep his composure. Unfortunately, my amusement quickly turned into exertion as I trekked down the Center's lengthy sidewalk to the entrance. I literally had to catch my breath before opening the door.
Once inside, I was greeted by the receptionist sitting at the front desk just a few feet away.
"Hello, welcome to the OutReach Rehabilitation Center. How can I help you?"
"Hi, my name is Brylee Splaine. I'm here today as one of your guest speakers for the Young Adult Recovery Program."
"Oh, yes! You'll need to speak with Ms. Nashville. She's the program director. Just give me one second, and I'll call down to her office to let her know you're here. You can have a seat right over there until I get a hold of her," she said, pointing to the chairs across from her.
"Okay, thank you," I replied.
She quickly dialed Ms. Nashville's extension number while twisting her finger around the phone cord until she answered.
"Hello, Ms. Nashville. It's Rebecca. Ms. Brylee Splaine is here. Alright, I'll inform her," she responded before hanging up the phone.
"Ms. Splaine, Ms. Nashville will be with you shortly. She's currently wrapping up a session with another guest speaker."
"Thank you," I replied before returning to fiddling with my fingers to keep my nerves under wraps.
Sadly, my attempts to tame the butterflies swirling around in my stomach were futile. I resorted to scrolling through my phone to stay occupied. To my dismay, social media offered nothing beyond the same old posts: expressions of despair, self-indulgent displays of wealth, and comparisons between the famous and the ordinary through pictures, memes, statuses, or quotes.
Suddenly, I began to hear the clicking of a woman's heels against the ceramic tile floor. As I glanced up, I saw a beautiful woman of Latino descent in her mid-thirties walking toward me, wearing a burgundy Armani suit with a black blouse and a pair of black Manolo heels. She was so captivating that it totally distracted me from my current situation. What can I say? I fancy both sexes—
"Hello, Ms. Splaine?"
"Yes, hello, it is such an honor to finally meet you," I responded as I stood up to shake her hand.
"The pleasure is all mine. I have heard so many wonderful things about you. Not to mention, I am a huge fan of your blog, and I loved your book! So, I've been looking forward to meeting you in person."
"Awe, thank you so much. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be one of your guest speakers today."
"No, please— thank you. This means so much to the Center. These young men and women need to hear your story. We hope that after today, many of them will change their outlook on life," responded Ms. Nashville.
"I hope so because this is extremely hard for me. I have never spoken about my life in a setting of this nature. So, I am beyond nervous."
"There's no need to be nervous because you'll do just fine— trust me. So, if you could follow me. I'll take you down to your classroom and on the way. I'll tell you a little bit more about how our program works. I'll also answer any questions you might have."
"That sounds good to me," I replied.
Of course, I had to dwell on the worst-case scenarios in my head again, such as vomiting, stuttering, or completely freezing up while I followed Ms. Nashville down the hallway to my classroom. Thankfully, her stunning voice interrupted me from my thoughts again.
"Okay— as you may already know, my name is Diane Nashville, and I'm the Director of the Young Adult Recovery program at the OutReach Rehabilitation Center."
"I figured so. Otherwise, this would've been awkward," I laughed.
"Oh gosh, it certainly would have, but thankfully, I am," chuckled Ms. Nashville.
"Thankfully, but please continue. I'm sorry for interrupting you."
"Oh no, you're fine. There's nothing like enjoying a good laugh; however, yes, let's refocus on the topic at hand. Typically, we invite three to five guest speakers each month. This particular program is tailored to assist individuals between the ages of 18 and 25. Consequently, we aim to pair our patients with guest speakers in similar age brackets. This approach cultivates a stronger bond between the speakers and our patients. Ultimately, promoting receptiveness and yielding more profound and life-changing outcomes."
"Which makes complete sense," I responded.
"Absolutely. Our guest speakers will also have a classroom with approximately five to eight patients. It usually depends on how many people fit the questionnaire you filled out beforehand. Do you remember? It was based on the battles you have dealt with in your past."
"Yes, I do. It was pretty intense."
"It is, but we do this because we only try to pair patients with guest speakers who have faced similar obstacles. Assigning our guest speakers to individuals who have not dealt with similar issues would defeat the whole purpose of them being here.
Our patients usually suffer from various addictions or PTSD associated with traumas, such as being physically or mentally abused, molested, or raped. Currently, you have free range on how you run your session today, but lunch is at noon, and the day ends at 4:00 p.m. Other than that, I think I went over everything. Do you have any questions?"
"No, I think you've covered just about everything."
"Okay, good. Well, here we are, room 2027; from the looks of it, everyone is already here. Now, do not forget that your classroom is in the C hallway. I know it can get quite confusing around here. Just remember that the A hall is the patient's living corridor, the cafeteria is in the B hall, and the C hall is obviously where our classrooms are located. My office is also at the end of this hall, just in case you need anything. I'll introduce you to everyone first and help you settle in, but then you're on your own. So, are you ready?" Ms. Nashville asked as she grabbed the door handle before opening it.
I laughed and responded, "Yes— as ready as I am going to get," while following her lead into the classroom.
"Hello, Everyone! I hope you all are doing well this morning. You're already familiar with me, so let's dive right in. First and foremost, I'd like to thank you for participating in today's group sessions, whether by choice or circumstance. We hope you'll find guidance, inspiration, support, and valuable insights to help you evolve into the best version of yourself.
As part of our program, we require our patients to attend at least one guest group session. It may not be ideal initially, but we've seen the benefits of hearing from individuals who have walked in shoes similar to yours. I urge all of you to listen attentively and show the utmost respect to our guest speaker today. It takes a great deal of courage to address a group like this. So, let's give a warm round of applause to our guest speaker, Ms. Brylee Splaine," applauded Ms. Nashville.
(The Class Applauds)
Standing beside Ms. Nashville in front of seven complete strangers, I was utterly terrified. Hopefully, they couldn't see it on my face because I tried so hard to hide it. I even attempted to clear my throat before speaking.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. First, I'd like to thank Ms. Nashville for allowing me to be here today. Second, I am incredibly nervous because I have never spoken so openly about my personal life. When my publicist first brought this opportunity to my attention, I was entirely against speaking here today.
Please do not mistake it, as I did not want to come here and help any of you by sharing my story because that was not the case. I have always dreamed of helping people all over the world. That was one of the main reasons I even wrote my book. My objection came from the fear of being vulnerable to people outside of my immediate circle or the book I wrote.
I am sure some of you can relate to the fear I was consumed with about coming here today and sharing my struggles. You're probably wondering what made me change my mind, right? Well, on the same day it was brought to my attention, I went home and watched R&B Divas on television. They had a life coach come on and talk to the ladies in the hopes of helping them with the anxiety they were experiencing from sharing their life stories.
The life coach told the ladies, "It is one thing to survive something, but it's another thing to thrive beyond. When you are thriving, it is because you take in all the power that belongs to you. Thrivers tell their story because the secrecy part of it still holds you captive in some way. To be in secret, you must hide, but when you are out, and you are like, there is no more hiding. This is who I am. This is where I have been; at that moment, your whole story becomes your WHOLE story. Now, you get the opportunity to hold that thing in your hand and strangle the life out of it if you choose to."
From that moment, I realized it was time for me to become a thriver! It was time for me to stand up and take complete control of my life by no longer hiding, being scared, or ashamed! The next day, I told my publicist that I would do it. So today, I am here to take back the power that belongs to me, and for the first time, I want my whole story to become my WHOLE story. And I am hoping you will all do the same today with me."
I paused for a second as I put up my pointer finger to signal them to wait a minute while I looked around the classroom to find an empty chair.
"Hold on guys, my feet are killing me in these heels." After retrieving one, I rejoined the group, gasping for air as I sat down to join the circle.
"Okay, sorry about that, but my poor feet were barking. Now, back to what I was saying. I am obviously here to share my story, and you were all chosen to be in my group because we share similar experiences, struggles, and mistakes. Therefore, I would like to start today's session by having everyone introduce themselves. Then, I will begin sharing my story. If you have any questions at any time, please raise your hand. I will stop and do my best to answer it. I also want everyone to take turns talking at some point during our session. Even if it is only about one of your scars. A wise woman once told me, "The longest journey starts with but a single step."
Unfortunately, we do not have enough time to go through everyone's complete life story. So, I figured the most effective way would be to discuss your struggles once the topic resonates. I cannot force any of you to talk. If you do not want to, you do not have to. However, I want everyone to understand that I am just as interested in getting to know your stories. I hope everyone will be open to it because, just maybe, you will come to trust me as I am entrusting you.
Yet, I also understand that it's not just about trusting me but trusting each other as well. This means respecting one another's scars, pain, choices, and struggles. We are all grown and around the same age, so let us not forget to act like it because no one wants to sit around and talk about their private struggles in front of immature individuals. Nonetheless, everyone needs to mind their manners for this to benefit those who want it to be.
Lastly, please remember that I am not a psychiatrist, therapist, counselor, or anything within the medical field. My opinions or advice will come from firsthand experiences because I am no different from you. As I tell my story, I will give it to you wet and raw— no sugar coating. I am not here to try and create a restricted atmosphere. I want an open environment as if we are all just friends learning, helping, and kicking it. Before I start, I'd like to go around the circle individually so y'all can introduce yourself, such as your name, where you are from, how old you are, and why you are here."
Ms. Nashville quietly gave me a thumbs-up before slipping out of the classroom. I could not help but think, great, it is all on me now as I continued talking to the group.
"So, let's start with the gentlemen to my left, and then we will go around the circle, as previously mentioned."
"Okay, I guess that's me— my name is Keyon, and I'm from the Eastside of Detroit. I just turned 23 last month. And I am here to deal with a few things but mostly to learn how to cope with my PTSD."
After Keyon introduced himself, I glanced at the young woman beside him.
"Oh, sorry about that— I just had déjà vu. Anyways, my name is Iyonna, and I am from Inkster. Currently, I am 21 years old. Well, that's until my birthday next week. Basically, I am here to work on my addiction to alcohol and marijuana. Oh yeah, and sex."
The class silently laughed while attempting to cover up their mouths to hide the fact that they were giggling under their breath.
"Oh, I see y'all find that shit amusing, huh," snapped Iyonna.
I immediately responded, "Absolutely not, right, everyone?" as I nervously looked over at the rest of the group for their reassurance.
Thankfully, they went along with me, but you could tell that Iyonna knew that they were all still thinking the same thing but just decided to be cordial. She sat in her chair with her arms folded while she stared at everyone with an expression that said, Bitch, I am not stupid.
"Okay, everyone, let's get back to introducing ourselves. Who's next?" I asked.
"It's my turn, Shawty."
"Hold up, before you start, please do not refer to me as Shawty, Shortie, Baby, Mah, or any other name besides the one I gave you. Agreed?" I demanded.
"Dang, feisty, aren't you, but that's cool. I got chu. Now back to my intro, y'all can call me Neko because I don't know any of you to be given out my government name and shit. I was born in Eastpointe, but the Eastside of Detroit raised and made me. I'm here because I was court-ordered. Oh yeah, and I am 25 years old, and the homie in my pants is the same; just convert that into inches," laughed Neko as he grabbed his nuts through his jeans.
"What— I figured I'd add something to my intro since homegirl got it spicy up in here."
"Screw you," yelled Iyonna.
"Back at ya' baby girl," laughed Neko while blowing her a kiss.
"O-M-G, don't tell me you're one of those guys? You know what, don't even answer that; let me just get my introduction done. My name is Yonnie. I am 24, and I've lived in Westland for most of my life. Respectfully, I have nothing extra to share with you, so next."
"Well, alright then— Hello, everyone. My name is Nathan, and I am 19. I have lived in Ferndale for most of my life. I wish I could limit my issues to just a few, but my life has been so shitty. I can't even narrow it down. The only thing I am sure about is that I am finally living outside the four walls I've been trapped in for years."
"Nathan, It's okay to not know, and it's okay to not be okay, but I'm glad you know you're no longer trapped. Thank you kindly for your honesty," I replied while signaling the young lady beside him to go.
"Hello, my name is Willow, and as far as this little bun in my oven, I haven't quite figured out a name for her yet. I'm 20 years old, and I have been homeless off and on since I was sixteen. Previously, I lived in Flint, but now it's fair to say that I am just a drifter. I am here to work on my traumas with sexual abuse before my baby arrives because she is the product of being raped."
"I am so sorry, Willow," I replied.
"Don't be; it's not your fault, but that's it for me next."
"Wow. That's a tough one to go after, but umm. Hi, everyone. I am Blake, and I live in Royal Oak, but I was raised in Warren for most of my life. I just turned 25, and I am here because of my inability to cope with my grief in ways that aren't harmful to me or others."
"Thank you, everyone, for sharing, and it's so nice to meet all of you, but before I start. I'd like to say a few more things. Please remember that we all live, love, and think differently. So, if you have any questions or need to express your opinion, be respectful and wait until the speaker has finished. Most importantly, do not forget that none of us sit high enough to look down on the next person. We have all made mistakes, but we are here to help each other by providing a listening ear, guidance, and support. Let's keep the environment uplifting even when it seems as if it is impossible."
Brylee paused, letting her words settle over the room. She knew the weight of what she was about to share, the past that had shaped her, and the journey that had led her here. But before anyone could understand the woman she had become, they needed to know the girl she once was.
NEXT CHAPTER: COMING SOON!
Written by: Brianna Spurlock
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