WHY HE STAYED
When Harry finally finished his Ph.D. dissertation, he was commended for a brilliant piece of work. But there was only one job opening in his field in the world—in New Zealand. He applied for it, of course, and he and Arlen waited hopefully. That Friday I dropped by...
IMPULSE
As I can attest, the more a therapist is like your parents, the more powerful your transference—your positive and negative feelings towards them—will be. Of all my therapists, Beth was most like my mother, and consequently, I developed a violent crush on her. When...
SECOND BEST
Looking back on it now, perhaps I should have known that Arlen’s ex would continue to cast a shadow over her second marriage. Harry was a considerate and attentive partner, eminently reasonable and understanding even when Arlen was strident and irrational. But he...
SECOND BEST
Looking back on it now, perhaps I should have known that Arlen’s ex would continue to cast a shadow over her second marriage. Harry was a considerate and attentive partner, eminently reasonable and understanding even when Arlen was at her most strident and irrational....
GRAND ADVENTURE
Adam and I are reading a picture book. ‘Hunh?’ I say, turning to the previous page. "I don’t get this." Adam instructs me. "What would I do without you to explain these things to me?" I ask him affectionately. "I don’t know what you would do!" he answers importantly....
BIND
This is a journal entry from the time that I only discovered recently because it never made it into A Patchwork Memoir.I follow Beth into her office, note the water-spotted, mildewing patch of rug behind my chair, and sit down with a sigh. Beginnings are almost as...