Harper squeezes my hand lightly. “Come on, let’s see what this paradise has to offer.”
And that’s just what this is—paradise. Paradise hopefully not hiding the hell I imagine rehab should be.
We begin to push open the dark mahogany door when a friendly man offers to take my bag. This place really seems more like a fancy spa. Walking through the door, we are instantly greeted with a serene and calming atmosphere. Candles line the walls, and soft classical music plays over the surround sound.
As we walk farther into the lobby, a tall, lithe blonde gracefully strides over to us. “Hello, you must be Bailey. My name is Harmony.”
Of course it is. She’s probably the holistic life coach on staff. I want to roll my eyes, but I refrain. I need to be here. So instead, I lift my hand to meet her already extended hand.
“Hi, Harmony. This is my sister, Harper.” I step back, allowing Harper to reach out with her hand.
“It’s a pleasure meeting you as well, Harper. I’ll be giving you both the tour of the property, and then I’ll show Bailey to her room.” She walks toward a set of double doors that must hold the treatment facilities.
“At Serenity Vista, we have a much different approach to healing. We treat the underlying issues that lead to your addiction, rather than just the substance that brought you to us. Ultimately, our goal while you are here is to find the root of the problem and focus there.” Her lip turns upward, and her eyes crinkle as she smiles.
“That makes complete sense. It’s pretty pointless just to put a Band-Aid on it,” Harper agrees as she nods repeatedly. Harmony points at a room on the right as we continue our way down the hall.
“That way is our state-of-the-art spa. Inside, you will find every amenity your heart could desire, as well as a full staff including estheticians and a masseuse. Anything you need is at your disposal.”
My mouth drops open. Wow. Drew really spared no expense. My heart tightens in my chest about how wrong I was. How I had let a misconception crush me. How I didn’t have enough trust in him to seek the truth before I succumbed to my usual self-destructive tendencies.
“If you would like to see the spa now, it would be my pleasure.” I shake my head, so we continue our path. “Right over here is the art studio. We find art is a great outlet for our guests’ emotions.”
She pushes open a large glass door, and we step inside. The room is spacious. There is a scattering of easels facing the glass retracting walls that face the outside patio. Through the glass, I can see more easels with an unobscured view of the mountain in the distance. It really is perfect.
Harmony leads us out onto the patio. In the distance, I see a group of women doing yoga. “We also hold daily workout classes outside, as well as meditation sessions. We have a full gym off the spa. We highly suggest that every guest takes a meditation session every day.”
“That sounds wonderful. Doesn’t it, Bae?”
I just nod, not able to voice my words as I’m too overcome with emotions. I still don’t understand what I did to deserve this. If anything, Drew should have written me off completely and told me to fuck off. But instead, he has given me all the tools to heal myself, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
“How about therapy? Also, is Bailey allowed to call me?” Harper asks as we walk back inside to continue our tour.
“Each day, you will have one group session as well as a one on one. They are held in whichever location you feel the most comfortable. We feel that being connected to the outside world is essential to having long-lasting success, so we allow and encourage it. So yes, to answer your question, there are phone privileges. We find that if a problem arises, we are here to help. If we keep the guest cocooned in a bubble, the moment they reenter reality, they are often not equipped to handle the new pressure and have a tendency to regress.”
“Perfect. That makes complete sense.”
We continue our tour of the facility, and I’m floored by how perfect it is. Once we arrive in my private suite, my shoulders have finally loosened. This is going to be good.
“I’ll give you a chance to say goodbye, and I’ll return in an hour to see how you’re adjusting. It was a pleasure meeting both of you.” Harmony steps out of the room, and Harper turns to me.
“Wow. That’s all I can say.” She laughs.
“I know, right? This is crazy nice. I feel like I don’t—”
Harper lifts her hand to cut me off. “Stop that thought right there. You need this, and no questioning anything past that, okay?”