Chapter 22
555 Words
Chapter 22
‘SO, TELL ME, LEONARD,’ asked Ellen, ‘Do you engage much with the outside world?’
A look of disdain appeared on Leonard’s face as he replied, ‘If by “engaging with the outside world”, you mean interacting with morons and wasting my valuable time on the mindless drivel that occupies the common masses, the answer is no, I don’t. I refuse to read newspapers or watch commercial TV or indulge in idle gossip with stupid people. I have neither the patience nor the stomach for it. I deal in facts, numbers, and science.’
‘Is it fair to say then, that you have minimal awareness of what is going on around you, or interest in current affairs, or news?’ continued Ellen.
‘Ha!’ replied Leonard. ‘If your so-called news represents who is the latest sleazy congressman embroiled in a s****l scandal with a nubile young intern at the White House, then no, I am blissfully uninformed. I have no interest in consuming the p********a spouted by the corporations and special interest groups who are brainwashing the populace with their own agendas.’
‘Would you say you are a recluse?’ inquired Ellen with an air of expectation, bordering on accusation.
Leonard flared at this question, as Ellen had expected. She let the silence fill the air as she waited calmly, gazing across at Leonard. ‘Only through shock comes change,’ she thought to herself, reflecting on the loaded question.
Leonard collected himself and responded calmly, ‘No. I am not a recluse. I enjoy my own company and that of my intellectual peers at Mensa. I converse with those who can match my high level of intelligence. And please remember, Miss DeMarco, that I came to you for a resolution to my hallucinations, visions and sleep spasms, not for you to assault me with your psychobabble!’
‘Let’s move on then, shall we? We can come back to the “psychobabble” as you so generously put it, another time,’ she said, as she cast a significant and obvious glance up to her college certifications mounted proudly on the wall.
Leonard didn’t miss the point of the glance, sniffed with derision and said, ‘We can both use the word “Doctor” in front of our name, Miss DeMarco, so don’t bother trying to impress me with your degrees in pseudoscience.’
Now it was Ellen’s turn to flare as she bristled at Leonard’s superior tone, boorish attitude, and lofty opinions of himself. Ellen was taking a significant dislike to her prickly patient. ‘No wonder he spends all his goddamn time alone,’ she thought to herself.
She took a deep breath, collected herself and continued the dialogue. ‘In the interests of being thorough and to rule out any physical disorders or abnormalities, I would like you to have an MRI scan of your brain.’
‘It’s about time you went down this path. Let’s see what the real physical science and medical fraternity have to say about what’s going on up here,’ replied Leonard, as he tapped his forefinger against his temple.
‘Very well, I’ll book you in for a scan and we’ll see what comes back, and then take it from there. In the meantime, I’ll see you next week for our next session of psychobabble,’ said Ellen in a voice dripping heavily with sarcasm.
‘Looking forward to it,’ replied Leonard and then muttered under his breath as he walked out the door, ‘like taking a bath in boiling hydrochloric acid.’
- Writer
