Chapter 9: Wonderful.
"So, IQ." Doctor Nelson said looking at the young man with the green rimmed glasses sitting on the couch looking at the wall of diplomas and accolades behind him. "IQ!" Doctor Nelson said snapping his fingers in front of the young man's face who seemed completely disinterested in talking to him. "Yes, sir." IQ said in a very bored tone as the man began to ask for seemingly the trillionth time about IQ's "unhealthy" relations with another boy.
IQ's mind wandered away from the man's droning voice as he spoke of how such a relationship was unhealthy and needed to be cured immediately if he ever wanted to function in society properly. IQ's mind focused on the boy and the relations he had with said boy that the dear doctor found to be so "unhealthy." IQ missed Fender dearly, and daily he would sneak down stairs from his bedroom prison and switch on the TV and watch the Corny Collins Show just to see him. When Tammy would pop on the screen, IQ could barely control the urge to throw something at the image of the girl who had destroyed everything.
"IQ! IQ!" Doctor Nelson said snapping his fingers once again in front of the boy's face bringing his attention back to the boring man. "I asked, how do you feel about everything." Doctor Nelson said looking at the boy wondering what was going on in his head, for that was his job, to know what truly made this sick boy tick. "Well, sir. I miss him. I don't care how unhealthy you, my parents, Ms. Von Tussle or anyone thinks my relationship is with Fender. I love him!" IQ said as he felt a smile spread across his face at the thought of Fender.
"Son, son!" Doctor Nelson said shaking his head as he looked at the boy who was clearly sicker than he thought. "It's become obvious that you are sicker than I first thought." Doctor Nelson said realizing their session was over. "But, we shall find someway to rid you of these thoughts and feelings." Doctor Nelson said ushering the boy out to his waiting mother in the lobby. IQ's mother shot up from her position sitting reading the latest gossip about Doris Day's beach romp with Rock Hudson in Monaco. "How was it, dear?" she spoke softly to her son as he smiled weakly and stood behind her as Doctor Nelson motioned her closer to consult her further on her son's "condition."
"How is he, doctor?" she spoke nervously as if IQ had some kind of communicable disease that could easily from her to her husband and beyond. "Well, Mrs. Webster. I am afraid that the condition is much worse than we thought, he continues to say he loves this boy over and over again." Doctor Nelson said taking off his glasses to clean.
"Is there nothing else you can do, sir?" IQ's mother said almost begging for any magic potion or cure to rid her son of this disease of homosexuality. According to all the reports, this new disease was truly spreading at an alarming rate like some plague. "We can only hope through more secessions, he will soon forget all about the boy and accept our way." Doctor Nelson said placing his glasses back on before smiling trying to assure her that all would be fine in due time.
The drive home from Doctor Nelson's was spent like most drives as of late, lots of Bible radio and silence. IQ sighed glancing out the window at mid-afternoon sky as his mother began to hum along to one of the hymns on the radio and kept urging him with her eyes to join in, but he wouldn't. IQ sighed and placed his head back wondering what Fender was doing at that very moment and if Fender was thinking about him as much as he thought about him. Finally the car came to a halt and IQ opened his door and walked slowly up the steps and into the house, bounding for the stairs to get away from his mother. "IQ!" she said as she shut the front door and placed her purse on the coffee table next to the door. "I have all your assignments you need to make up, and I want them done by tomorrow so I can send them for you." she said glancing at her son with a soft and yet weak smile. "Yes, mother." IQ said in a bored voice as he took the stack of books sitting on the table and walked up toward his prison.
She stood watching him go, and sighed to herself a pitiful sigh for she knew her son was sick and needed help and so she did what any Christian women would do: Pray and go off to make her son a hardy meal.