Two years pasted surprisingly quickly once a habit was formed, and before long Patricia had graduated top of her class at age nineteen. Her father however, did not fare so well in the years and died of a heart attack just after her graduation, leaving her with a trust fund to keep her going for the rest of her life along with everything else, him having no other heirs.
Once word got out that Mr. Van Cartier had left everything to her, servants turned in their two weeks in record time, but that didn't stop a whole new flock domestics from flying for a change at employ. She had also secured a sort of career for herself writing in for an advice column in the morning gazette
Alex had moved up in the world as well, at least in prison. He had become assistant to the Chaplin and worked to organize Sunday services. Patricia had been shocked to learn this upon her visits but Alex explained that he didn't care so much for the New Testament as he did the Old.
He also noted how he and Patricia were like the married couples of the old testament, in which the Wife would allow her Husband to bed her handmaidens , but Patricia pointed out it would be more accurate if the wife were also sleeping with the hand maidens.
"I never thought I would see the day you opened up the Good Book Alex" she chuckled in disbelief. Despite everything Patricia was actually a regular church goer, more out of habit that anything else. However she always smudged the details of her exploits when it came to confession.
Alex always teased her about her holy habit, saying there must be a God because it was nothing short of a miracle that she could set foot on holy ground and not burst into flames,
"And I never thought I would viddy your rabbit in the gazette but here we are." Alex retorted and looked around, "So, there may be a small chance that I am able to get out soon."
Trisha's ears perked up, "What? How?"
"There's this treatment, it's supposed to turn the badiwads into proper gents you see. And I'm planning to get the good ole' Charlie to drop in my eemya for testing." He whispered into the phone and she nearly dropped it.
"Are you mad?" she yelled in a whisper, "throwing yourself out there for an experimental procedure that you know nothing about?!"
"Not nothing my love, and whether it works or not, I'll be goolying out of here."
"But Alex…"
"Don't you want that I should leave here?"
"Of Course but…"
"Would you rather I wait another twelve years in this rotting hellhole?"
"No! But Alex…!"
"Well?"
Alex stared at her with a look that said he knew he had won and she bit her lip nervously. She wanted him out but she didn't want him to go through some possible deadly experiment to get there.
"Promise me that you will be careful," she finally muttered and he shot her a half smile,
"I swear it, soon your wild kot will be as gentle as a domy koshka."
Trisha frowned and sighed, "But I love my wild kot"
"Would you love me any less if I were different?"
She swallowed, "No"
"Promise?"
"I promise"
And so a week later Alex somehow managed to get himself picked for the trial run of the Ludovico Technique. Patricia personally did some research on it and she was not comforted by what she found, apparently it was to be some sort of therapy to make people no long desire to be bad anymore.
She prayed it was the type of therapy where you sat down and talked your problems out.
Boy, was she wrong.
The fact was driven home very forcefully a fortnight later, after two weeks of hellish worrying and pacing with little food and next to no sleep she drove to the Ludovico Institute to witness what was to be a demonstration of the Technique's effectiveness.
She dressed in her church clothes and sat in a crowd of maybe two dozen people who muttered and chattered around her. She had managed to snag a front row seat next to the Chaplain that Alex had grown close to.
And soon a doctor in a white Medical coat entered from a side door, towing along Alex and placing him on the stage under a spotlight.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, at this point, we introduce the subject himself. He is, as you will perceive, fit and well nourished. He comes straight from as night's sleep and a good breakfast, undrugged, unhypnotized." A man with white hair in a black tux addressed them.
"Tomorrow, we send him with confidence out into the world again, as decent a lad as you would meet on a May morning. What a change is here, Ladies and Gentlemen, from the wretched hoodlum the state committed to unprofitable punishment some two years ago, unchanged after two years. Unchanged, do I say - not quite."
Patricia stared at Alex, trying to perceive a change in him. Something did indeed seem off about the whole thing, he stood as if a statue with not a fidget or a twitch.
"Prison taught him a false smile, the rubbed hands of hypocrisy, the fawning, greased, obsequious leer. Other vices prison taught him as well as confirming him in those he had long practiced before. Our party promised to restore law and order and to make the streets safe for the ordinary peace loving citizen. This pledge is now about to become a reality. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an historic moment. The problem of criminal violence is soon to be a thing of the past. But enough of words, actions speak louder than. Action now. Observe all."
There was a round of mild applause for the man, but Trisha didn't bother for she was too nervous to do anything but watch Alex on the stage.
A man entered the stage behind Alex and approached him with a snide sneering grin.
"Hello, heap of dirt." He chuckled and sniffed the air, "oh, you don't wash much do you? Judging by the smell."
Alex seemed unswayed by the rudeness, "why do you say that brother? I had a shower this morning."
The man sniggered again, "oh, he had a shower this morning. You trying to call me a liar?"
Alex did seemed put back by that a bit, but still standing "No, Brother!"
"You must think I'm awfully stupid." The man wagged a finger at him with a chuckle before delivering a sharp slap across Alex's face which echoed off the walls.
Trisha sat straight up and braced herself, in case the treatment was a failure and Alex failed to hold any anger in. Alex straightened up and stared at the man like he wanted to strike him right back but swallowed.
"Why did you do that Brother? I've never done wrong to you."
"You wanna know why I did that? Well you see, I do this!" He smashed Alex's foot with his heel. "And That!" He pulled Alex's ears and shoved him to the floor. "Because I don't like your horrible type do I?" He planted his foot on Alex's chest and Trisha covered her mouth at the sight of the young blonde struggling under the man's boot.
"If you wanna start, just go ahead!" the man challenged him, "Go on and start, please do!"
Alex went sickly pale and gripped at the man's shoe, "I'm gonna be sick, Please I'm gonna be sick."
"You gonna be sick?" the man mocked him
"Please, let me get up" Alex gasped as if he were in horrible agony. Trisha wanted to put a stop to it, If Alex wasn't in pain he was putting on a damned good show.
"You wanna get up? Well you've gotta do something for me." The cruel man twisted his heel in Alex's chest, "you see that? You see that shoe? I want you to lick it, go on!"
"This is sick" she muttered under her breath, the chaplain glanced at her and they shared a look of agreement.
"This is absolutely inhumane."
They dismissed the man after Alex had humiliated himself licking his shoe, and next on stage was a young woman of great beauty, with straight purple hair, wearing nothing but a pair of panties
Everyone, including Alex, stared at her as she approached the boy on the floor silently. Trisha felt she knew what would happen next and swallowed hard as Alex stared up at the woman in awe before slowly reaching up to her chest, but as soon as his hand was an inch away he let out a rattily breath like that of a dying man.
He fell from his knees to the ground, contorting in agony at the woman's feet.
The director dismissed the girl who left to loud applause as the man made of the stage and to Alex who was struggling to right himself and sit up. "There now, you don't feel so bad, right?"
Alex retched slightly before shaking his head and struggling to pull himself together, "No sir, I feel really great sir."
Trisha was furious and sat in quiet rage as Alex looked up at the man, "Did I do alright sir? Did I do well?"
"Splendid my boy, splendid." He turned to the audience. "You see, Ladies and Gentlemen our subject is, you see, impelled towards good by paradoxically being impelled toward evil. The intention to act violently is accompanied by strong feelings of physical distress. To counter these, the subject has to switch to a diametrically opposed attitude. Any questions?"
"Choice!" the priest next to Trisha shot up in fury. "The boy has no real choice, has he? Self-interest, fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement."
He went up the stage and grabbing Alex's shoulder "Its insincerity was clearly to be seen. He ceases to be a wrong doer, but he ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice."
Alex's face fell in slight concern.
"Padre, these are subtleties." The man brushed him off "We are not concerned with motive, with the higher ethics; we are concerned only with cutting down crime." There was an applause from the audience and Alex smiled once more, satisfied.
"And with relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons... He will be your true Christian, ready to turn the other cheek! Ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the very heart at the thought even of killing a fly! Reclamation, joy before the angels of God. The point is that it works!"
The room burst into agreement but Trisha sat silently, disturbed to the core by what she had witnessed. Alex spotted her in the front row and Smiled but there was something hollow in it, like it was a mask he was wearing the cover something else.
After the Show, She approached Alex while they were escorting him away. "I'm very…happy, for you Alex." She had to spit out the word like it was stuck in the back of her throat.
"I will be waiting outside for you." She wanted to reach out and touch him but didn't, only taking a last look into his eyes, straining to find the boy she knew in them before giving him a faint smile and walking for the exit.
Standing outside the institute Patricia smoked her first cigarette in two years, and stared blankly ahead. That boy they were about to set free was not Alexander DeLarge, it was now a shadow of him completely unprepared for the harsh world.
Unable to utter a cold phrase, or defend himself should the time call for it. Yes they had taken away his violent streak, but they had rendered him a chicken in a world of foxes.
Soon A guard popped his head out and noticed her. "You Patricia Van Cartier?"
"Yes."
"You're the person Mr. DeLarge is to go home with?"
"Yes."
"I wonder if you might sign some release forms for us please."
She nodded and put out the cigarette before reentering the Institute, Alexander was waiting for her beside a string of whitecoated doctors. "Just sign here, stating you are an acquaintance of this man"
She did so.
"And here, stating you will be taking full custody of the subject after leaving this area."
She signed.
"And of course a liability waver."
"Of Course" she muttered and scribbled her signature on the final page as the warder passed off the clipboard to a doctor. "Alright, you are free to go." He Shook Alex's hand quickly. "Good Luck to you, Young man."
"Thank you sir."
Trisha took Alex's hand and led him out to the car.
"I'll send for your things at your flat, I imagine you're extremely tired." She said sympathetically and Alex smiled.
"No need my Love, I'll skvat what I need in, and viddy in on dear old Em and P." Alex shrugged and Trisha gripped the wheel, starting the car and pulling out slowly.
"Are you quite sure?"
"Course."
"Alex?" she paused and pulled over in the parking lot. "Darling, can I ask you something."
"Anything you like." Alex laughed but Trisha didn't smile back.
"Are you Happy? I mean, this treatment, are you happy with the change?" Alex's face fell a little but he quickly covered it up again.
"Of course my love, I feel real horrorshow. They're made a real dobby Malchick out of me."
"Well." She started the car again, eyeing him with uneasiness, "If you say you're happy, than I'm happy to."
She drove toward Alex's old flat and pulled up in front of the complex for the first time in two years.
