THERAPY HELPS?
Her heels resounded of the tile floor as she marched down the corridor before turning off into one of the many rooms. He was there before her, sitting up ramrod straight in the chair; one hand in his lap the other on the armrest. He barely acknowledged her presence as she took her seat.
'So, Mr North, you know why you are here?'
'A condition of returning to work.' A curt response; no emotion.
'Right, can I call you Lucas?' A nod, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly showing the ghost of a grin.
'What was amusing about that Lucas?'
'Nothing.'
'You smiled.' She frowned
'No. My lips moved in acknowledgment of the question.'
She raised her eyebrows as he continued and noted something down on her clipboard. A man who knew how to calculate his every movement and the meaning behind it precisely. But then again, she thought, he'd had to.
'You asked me that question having read my file and knowing my history. You wanted to make me feel in control of the situation so I didn't feel threatened.'
'You know your psychology.' Another faint smile
'I know all the tricks in the book.' This time his eyes brightened as he smiled, mouth turned up at one end. But the expression was gone as quickly as it had come.
A pause.
'Did it work? The trick question?'
'If I felt in control I would not be sitting here answering your questions but would be upstairs doing my job.'
She ended the session.