escort diary® of Heidi Von Holdt: Gentle transformation
Some meetings arrive gently, almost on tiptoe. Yesterday’s did.
He came in with that careful, polite smile people wear when they’re not sure they’re allowed to take up space. His shoulders were tight, hands folded as if he didn’t quite know what to do with them. I could feel the shyness around him like a soft shell.
We sat down together and, because the day was warm, I poured him a cold water. Something about that simple moment — just two people pausing, letting the heat settle — seemed to help him breathe a little easier. Conversation at first was made of small, safe pieces: traffic, the view from the window, how strange it feels to meet someone new. I let the silence do some of the work, smiling, not rushing him.
Little by little his voice changed. The sentences grew longer, the eye contact steadier. He began to laugh at himself, telling me he hadn’t done anything like this before and was worried he’d say the wrong thing. I told him there was nothing to perform here, only to arrive as he was. I watched the relief soften his face.
By the end he was a different man from the one who had walked in — still gentle, still a touch shy, but open, curious, almost playful. It always amazes me how a bit of patience and warmth can loosen the tightest knots people carry inside. Moments like that remind me why I value this work: the quiet privilege of helping someone feel safe enough to unfold.
