"Oh.. Hello, Feral."
Feral looked up. She had been sitting on her living room floor. The secretary of Frank's building had driven her to her car. She had driven home herself. Now, her mother had walked in.
"Hi."
"You went to Dr. Furter's office instead of school.. Why?" She sat down next to her.
Fay looked up from the book she was reading. "Mom.. I just had something I needed to work out with him. I wasn't exactly sure about a problem I was having.."
Her mother looked hurt. She wondered briefly. Is she pregnant? No, she would be an emotional wreck.. Is she doing drugs? No.. Her eyes aren't droopy or red.. So what could be wrong? "Anything I can help with?"
Feral laughed, "If I wanted to tell you, I would have."
Her mother snorted, "Well, well. Be rude, then." She stood and hurried away. Fay sighed and relaxed. She had been reading a very interesting book. She had found it on the street as she was walking back to her car that day. It was titled Project Possibility: Is Earth Society Our Society?
She had picked it up because she was trying to get her mind off of what she was stumbling through at the moment. She didn't want to think about what she had seen in Mick's bedroom. She also wanted to forget how angry and frightfully unstoppable Frank had looked when he attacked him.
Most of all, she had a weird feeling about the book. It was actually a detailed plan for an investigation of Earth by aliens. She had always liked fiction about aliens. Still, after what Frank had revealed to her, she wondered if the fiction novels she loved so much were really fictional.
She was most occupied with a completely different thought, though: What was Frank going to tell her? She couldn't imagine what else he could have done. Letting that alone, she couldn't even believe he had been a bisexual! She wondered if he still was a bisexual.. That made her feel weird about him. Could he have checked Mick out?
"No.. All he was thinking about was the prospect of the pain Mick was causing me.. I could see it in his eyes."
She closed the book and stood. With a sigh, she retired to her bedroom, hoping to find peace in some catch-up sleep. As she lay down, she thought one last thing: "And if I did, it would be out of love!" She smiled. My best friend.
Frank picked up his coffee mug. His head was swimming with thoughts, still. He hoped Fay had gotten home all right. He also pondered about what her mother would say. He prayed that she wouldn't bother her much. She had enough to contend with for the day, he knew.
Ring!!! Ring!!!
"What now?" Frank reached over his desk for the phone, putting down the coffee. He fumbled for a moment, then put the receiver to his ear. "Dr. Furter's office, may I help you?"
"Dr. Furter, it's Feral Hane's mother."
"Ah, hello, Ms. Hane. How's Fay?"
"Her usual, cranky self. Why did she visit you today instead of going to school?"
Frank rolled his eyes silently, "I'm sorry, but all sessions are, by law, confidential."
The voice came back slightly angry, "For goodness sake, I'm her mother!"
"I'm sorry. I can't say anything. I could be arrested."
An annoyed growl followed, "Why won't she talk to me?"
Frank decided he was sick of being business-like, and gave her the hard truth, "Well, for one, because your solution is her doctor or her medication. For another, you seem to have discouraged your daughter of telling you things. After all, you sent her to me. In a way, that was like saying: 'I can't handle your problems.. Let a perfect stranger do it."
She sounded appalled, "Well! I think I will be taking my daughter from your care.. You sound like a horrible psychologist!"
He laughed, "Fine. You do that. I don't live for my paycheck. I help people with or without the cash. Trust me, if she needs someone to talk to, the fact that she doesn't have paid sessions will not stop Fay from contacting me."
"We'll see about that!"
Click. Frank hung up his own side of the line with a sad groan. He hoped that Fay would still come to see him if she needed him. He wanted her to know that she could come around, for he was afraid that she would be too timid to show up unannounced.
He finished his coffee and looked around. He was bored. He didn't have a session for another hour. Right then it was almost eleven in the morning. He looked out the window, "What to do in a hot office on a nice day.." He glanced the phone. Maybe I can tell Fay that she can come down whenever she needs to.. He dialed the number quickly, and was relieved when Fay was the one to pick up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Frank here, Fay. Has your mother told you?"
"Yes. She came rambling up the stairs the minute she got off the phone.. I was almost asleep, too. I won't have any more sessions, then?"
"Not with me.. Officially, anyway."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, whenever you want to talk, come down and see me."
"Oh.. You mean it? No charge?"
"Sure. If I really am your best friend, I won't leave you in the dark this way."
There was a long pause, until, "But is the fact that we're friends breaking the psychologist/patient relationship rule?"
"Yes."
"Well, then how will I be allowed-"
"Remember, your not my patient anymore.."
There was laughter from both ends. Finally, Fay asked, "Hey, Frank? Could I come see you today? Maybe at four?"
"Sure. Until then, Fay."
"Until then."
Two days away.
Feral looked up. She had been sitting on her living room floor. The secretary of Frank's building had driven her to her car. She had driven home herself. Now, her mother had walked in.
"Hi."
"You went to Dr. Furter's office instead of school.. Why?" She sat down next to her.
Fay looked up from the book she was reading. "Mom.. I just had something I needed to work out with him. I wasn't exactly sure about a problem I was having.."
Her mother looked hurt. She wondered briefly. Is she pregnant? No, she would be an emotional wreck.. Is she doing drugs? No.. Her eyes aren't droopy or red.. So what could be wrong? "Anything I can help with?"
Feral laughed, "If I wanted to tell you, I would have."
Her mother snorted, "Well, well. Be rude, then." She stood and hurried away. Fay sighed and relaxed. She had been reading a very interesting book. She had found it on the street as she was walking back to her car that day. It was titled Project Possibility: Is Earth Society Our Society?
She had picked it up because she was trying to get her mind off of what she was stumbling through at the moment. She didn't want to think about what she had seen in Mick's bedroom. She also wanted to forget how angry and frightfully unstoppable Frank had looked when he attacked him.
Most of all, she had a weird feeling about the book. It was actually a detailed plan for an investigation of Earth by aliens. She had always liked fiction about aliens. Still, after what Frank had revealed to her, she wondered if the fiction novels she loved so much were really fictional.
She was most occupied with a completely different thought, though: What was Frank going to tell her? She couldn't imagine what else he could have done. Letting that alone, she couldn't even believe he had been a bisexual! She wondered if he still was a bisexual.. That made her feel weird about him. Could he have checked Mick out?
"No.. All he was thinking about was the prospect of the pain Mick was causing me.. I could see it in his eyes."
She closed the book and stood. With a sigh, she retired to her bedroom, hoping to find peace in some catch-up sleep. As she lay down, she thought one last thing: "And if I did, it would be out of love!" She smiled. My best friend.
Frank picked up his coffee mug. His head was swimming with thoughts, still. He hoped Fay had gotten home all right. He also pondered about what her mother would say. He prayed that she wouldn't bother her much. She had enough to contend with for the day, he knew.
Ring!!! Ring!!!
"What now?" Frank reached over his desk for the phone, putting down the coffee. He fumbled for a moment, then put the receiver to his ear. "Dr. Furter's office, may I help you?"
"Dr. Furter, it's Feral Hane's mother."
"Ah, hello, Ms. Hane. How's Fay?"
"Her usual, cranky self. Why did she visit you today instead of going to school?"
Frank rolled his eyes silently, "I'm sorry, but all sessions are, by law, confidential."
The voice came back slightly angry, "For goodness sake, I'm her mother!"
"I'm sorry. I can't say anything. I could be arrested."
An annoyed growl followed, "Why won't she talk to me?"
Frank decided he was sick of being business-like, and gave her the hard truth, "Well, for one, because your solution is her doctor or her medication. For another, you seem to have discouraged your daughter of telling you things. After all, you sent her to me. In a way, that was like saying: 'I can't handle your problems.. Let a perfect stranger do it."
She sounded appalled, "Well! I think I will be taking my daughter from your care.. You sound like a horrible psychologist!"
He laughed, "Fine. You do that. I don't live for my paycheck. I help people with or without the cash. Trust me, if she needs someone to talk to, the fact that she doesn't have paid sessions will not stop Fay from contacting me."
"We'll see about that!"
Click. Frank hung up his own side of the line with a sad groan. He hoped that Fay would still come to see him if she needed him. He wanted her to know that she could come around, for he was afraid that she would be too timid to show up unannounced.
He finished his coffee and looked around. He was bored. He didn't have a session for another hour. Right then it was almost eleven in the morning. He looked out the window, "What to do in a hot office on a nice day.." He glanced the phone. Maybe I can tell Fay that she can come down whenever she needs to.. He dialed the number quickly, and was relieved when Fay was the one to pick up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Frank here, Fay. Has your mother told you?"
"Yes. She came rambling up the stairs the minute she got off the phone.. I was almost asleep, too. I won't have any more sessions, then?"
"Not with me.. Officially, anyway."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, whenever you want to talk, come down and see me."
"Oh.. You mean it? No charge?"
"Sure. If I really am your best friend, I won't leave you in the dark this way."
There was a long pause, until, "But is the fact that we're friends breaking the psychologist/patient relationship rule?"
"Yes."
"Well, then how will I be allowed-"
"Remember, your not my patient anymore.."
There was laughter from both ends. Finally, Fay asked, "Hey, Frank? Could I come see you today? Maybe at four?"
"Sure. Until then, Fay."
"Until then."
Two days away.