still spending a lot of time thinking about your incident. And if that’s true, then you shouldn’t be exposed to the television because you will crave watching the weather channel some more, and feed an unhealthy cycle of thought and behavior that ultimately may lead to you attempting suicide again. Does that make sense to you at all?”
Dorothy’s shoulders sank. “I keep telling you guys I didn’t try to kill myself.”
“My apologies,” Dr Weller said. It was time to push her, just a little. He folded his hands behind his head.
‘So you ran away from your uncle’s house. And you stole a car. Sorry, allegedly stole a car. Then you drove the car seventy miles to the Kansas state line, where you turned it into a field and drove straight into an oncoming tornado.”
“He’s not my real uncle,” Dorothy said. “He’s my dad’s friend from the war. They only sent me there ‘cuz of that, plus he takes in foster kids for the money. He calls us strays .”
“You’re right,” Dr Weller said. “Sorry. But you can see how this looks, don’t you Dorothy?”
“Yeah,” she said. She bit her lower lip again. “I mean… yeah . It does sound a little weird . But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. I couldn’t make something like that up, I swear, doctor.”
“I know,” Dr Weller said. He took a sip of cold coffee from a silver mug. “Sometimes, especially with people who have suffered greatly, it is easier for them to sort of wipe out the existing bad memories and replace them with extremely vivid fantasy memories. I think we can both agree that you have suffered a great deal, Dorothy.”
“ But they’re not fantasies! ” Dorothy said. She waved her arms, exasperated. She caught herself immediately. Dr Weller saw the lights switch off, and Dorothy’s calm exterior shell once more took over. “I mean, I don’t see how I could be dreaming all of it up. The Witch? Scarecrow? ”
“I know,” Dr Weller said. “That’s why we have our meetings though, right? So we can discuss this whole Oz business, try to make sense of it.”
“Em thought I meant Australia,” Dorothy said, and smiled. She looked down and hugged her stuffed dog. The ratty old thing glared at Dr Weller with one scratched plastic eye. “She kept thinking I had some dream about going down there to live or something.”
“Was she upset that you didn’t want to stay with them?”
“A little I think,” Dorothy said. “She was always talking about the boys around the area like I’d suddenly stop being into girls and run off to get married. Come home, do the family thing.”
“But that’s not for you,” Dr Weller said.
“Nope,” Dorothy said. “No thanks.”
“How did Henry react to you being openly gay?”
“He didn’t say anything at all.” Dorothy cocked her head, looked out of the corner of her eye at the silk plants, and chewed her bottom lip. It was an incredibly cute gesture.
She does it to attract my sympathy, Dr Weller thought.. He made a point of keeping his gaze neutral.
“Mostly it was Aunt Em and her sermons about how I was this lost little sheep, and how God knew I was confused but wouldn’t put up with me messin’ around with girls. Like once I got back on track it would all disappear.”
“Some people are like that,” Dr Weller said. “Especially ones from the old way of thinking. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t really feel anything. It is what it is, right?”
“Sounds like avoidance,” Dr Weller said.
“Well, they’re old ,” Dorothy said. “They’re not going to change on my account. Just like I’m not going to change for theirs.” She turned her head down and then lilted her eyes up toward Dr Weller. she dangled a smile at him, and then shot a brief pouty face when he didn’t respond.
“Would you like to talk about your parents today, Dorothy?” Dr Weller said. It had
Dorothy’s shoulders sank. “I keep telling you guys I didn’t try to kill myself.”
“My apologies,” Dr Weller said. It was time to push her, just a little. He folded his hands behind his head.
‘So you ran away from your uncle’s house. And you stole a car. Sorry, allegedly stole a car. Then you drove the car seventy miles to the Kansas state line, where you turned it into a field and drove straight into an oncoming tornado.”
“He’s not my real uncle,” Dorothy said. “He’s my dad’s friend from the war. They only sent me there ‘cuz of that, plus he takes in foster kids for the money. He calls us strays .”
“You’re right,” Dr Weller said. “Sorry. But you can see how this looks, don’t you Dorothy?”
“Yeah,” she said. She bit her lower lip again. “I mean… yeah . It does sound a little weird . But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. I couldn’t make something like that up, I swear, doctor.”
“I know,” Dr Weller said. He took a sip of cold coffee from a silver mug. “Sometimes, especially with people who have suffered greatly, it is easier for them to sort of wipe out the existing bad memories and replace them with extremely vivid fantasy memories. I think we can both agree that you have suffered a great deal, Dorothy.”
“ But they’re not fantasies! ” Dorothy said. She waved her arms, exasperated. She caught herself immediately. Dr Weller saw the lights switch off, and Dorothy’s calm exterior shell once more took over. “I mean, I don’t see how I could be dreaming all of it up. The Witch? Scarecrow? ”
“I know,” Dr Weller said. “That’s why we have our meetings though, right? So we can discuss this whole Oz business, try to make sense of it.”
“Em thought I meant Australia,” Dorothy said, and smiled. She looked down and hugged her stuffed dog. The ratty old thing glared at Dr Weller with one scratched plastic eye. “She kept thinking I had some dream about going down there to live or something.”
“Was she upset that you didn’t want to stay with them?”
“A little I think,” Dorothy said. “She was always talking about the boys around the area like I’d suddenly stop being into girls and run off to get married. Come home, do the family thing.”
“But that’s not for you,” Dr Weller said.
“Nope,” Dorothy said. “No thanks.”
“How did Henry react to you being openly gay?”
“He didn’t say anything at all.” Dorothy cocked her head, looked out of the corner of her eye at the silk plants, and chewed her bottom lip. It was an incredibly cute gesture.
She does it to attract my sympathy, Dr Weller thought.. He made a point of keeping his gaze neutral.
“Mostly it was Aunt Em and her sermons about how I was this lost little sheep, and how God knew I was confused but wouldn’t put up with me messin’ around with girls. Like once I got back on track it would all disappear.”
“Some people are like that,” Dr Weller said. “Especially ones from the old way of thinking. How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t really feel anything. It is what it is, right?”
“Sounds like avoidance,” Dr Weller said.
“Well, they’re old ,” Dorothy said. “They’re not going to change on my account. Just like I’m not going to change for theirs.” She turned her head down and then lilted her eyes up toward Dr Weller. she dangled a smile at him, and then shot a brief pouty face when he didn’t respond.
“Would you like to talk about your parents today, Dorothy?” Dr Weller said. It had
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