“How dare you!” Jervis spat.
I lingered just a moment longer, grinned and shut the door behind myself as I headed to my office. Letting myself in the door, I locked it securely and pulled a freshly laundered quilt from the closet. We kept a few on hand for the more traumatic confessions — it seemed to help. I wondered if I should offer Jervis’ Jezebel one right about now.
I chose the longer of the two sofas and had just curled up when I heard the front door close. Smiling, I dropped off to sleep.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Auggie
Mother seemed satisfied that any crisis at the therapist’s office would be averted, although I think it was a newer affair of excitement that captured her immediate attention. I won’t say I wasn’t glad.
She wasn’t being forthcoming, but I could tell she had things on her mind and this allowed me to come and go without explanation which was something I detested.
I dressed casually and headed to town for some diversion. There was a new restaurant on my side of town and a long, leisurely lunch seemed like a good idea.
I’d just settled into a booth when a voice behind me spoke up. “Miss Auggie,” it acknowledged in a sultry tone.
I swung around and found the obstetrician a/k/a mocking therapist from Jervis’ office. He was sitting with his back to me or I would have seen him and chosen another booth.
“Hello,” I said in a non-committal voice and turned around. I refused to look his way, even as I got up from the booth to make a salad at the buffet. When I sat back down, however, I couldn’t help but overhear him talking on his phone.
“Yes, I agree. I know he’s coming home this weekend, but I thought we’d talked about this. We said if he came home and still hadn’t lost any weight, you were going to leave him and come to live with me. Remember? He’s a slob, Margaret, c’mon. He should be wearing a D cup. Anyway, you said he couldn’t get it up at all and you deserve to have a real man. Hell, if it makes you feel better, we can call it therapy and send him a bill. How about it? Why don’t you just come over tonight and pack a big bag. Plan to stay a while.” He continued to repeat his invitation a couple of more times and then said his goodbyes.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. This doctor spoke to his patients that way? Surely to God, he was breaking every oath he ever took and was committing insurance fraud to boot! I had to report this to someone. Where should I begin? I kept my eyes down as he stood, left a tip and prepared to leave. As he passed my table, he tapped two fingers twice on the surface while he pocketed his money clip with the other hand. The symbolism was just too much!
I couldn’t even finish lunch, I was so angry. I jumped into my car and tore off down the road toward home. A patrol car was sitting on a side street and ripped out after me. I hadn’t gotten two blocks before his lights came on.
Pulling over, I prepared for the interrogation by pulling out my license, proof of insurance and registration. The officer strolled toward my baby blue Mercedes, tipping his hat back as he came closer. I rolled down the window and waited.
As it happened, I knew him. Todd Green and I had gone to high school together. We went through the formalities and when he handed back my license, he asked, “What’s your phone number, Auggie?”
“Are you supposed to ask that?” I questioned him suspiciously.
“Well, technically no, but then technically, I should be writing you out a big fat ticket and you’d have to come to court to straighten it out,” he speculated, lifting his aviators and placing one hand on the roof of the car.
“Jesus, is the world full of opportunistic assholes?” I blurted out.
“What’s that?” Todd’s face wasn’t pleased.
I remembered the better part of valor and offered up a peace treaty. “I’m sorry, Todd. It’s just been a lousy day and something you said reminded me of another incident earlier. Had nothing to do with you. Sure, here’s my phone number. Call me and we’ll get together sometime.” I offered him my number written on the torn off flap of an envelope.
He seemed appeased and was generous enough to smile. Patting the bottom of my open window, he said, “Keep the speed down, Auggie,” and backed off, returning to his squad car.
This whole thing just lit me up even more and if Dr. Worthington LaViere had been in the passenger seat, I would have stabbed him in his crotch with my pen!
I wasn’t much calmer by the time I reached home, but I had come to a decision. If I screwed with LaViere, he’d be taken off my case and I’d be stuck with the undoubtedly horrid Dr. Jervis. I realized if I showed up for my next scheduled appointment, I could tell him a thing or two, maybe even feed him some bullshit, and he’d learn his lesson. Yes, indeed, this was definitely better handled personally. My green eyes were full of vengeance, as they were intended to be.
CHAPTER NINE
Auggie
I took a long time getting dressed for my appointment with LaViere. I tucked up my hair into a French twist and added a couple of diamond-studded hairpins for effect. I applied subtle make-up and pulled on a velvet, cream-color mini skirt with a deeply-cut, hunter green top that accented my eyes. Matching studs went into my ears and I was ready to go.
“Why are you all dressed up?” Mother asked as she passed me in the hallway.
“Thought I’d make a better impression this time,” I said truthfully.
“Very good, Auggie,” she approved in a happy voice. It was so easy to manipulate her.
I was early for the appointment and sat in the waiting room leafing through Kentucky Thoroughbred, one of my favorite magazines, although I’d already read this issue. I had a subscription.
When he finally opened the door and waved me in, I pasted on a phony sweet smile and went to sit in the same chair as before, except this time I turned it around to face him.
“Miss Auggie, how are we today?” he began, smiling.
I bit my lip to avoid a sarcastic comeback. This hand would have to be carefully played.
“I’ve given a lot of thought to our first meeting, you know,” I began.
“Is that so?”
“Oh, yes… I can see that I was being entirely unfair to Eric by calling off our impending engagement. It’s not his fault that he’s gay, after all.” I waited for his reaction.
He didn’t disappoint. “I see. So you’ve decided you’d rather be half of something that swings both ways than to wait for the right man?” He was trying to be a doctor, but I heard something else in his voice.
“Yes. You see, I decided that my first love is actually Carlos. That’s my horse.” I paused and he nodded. “If Eric were totally involved with my life, well, he’d frown upon the amount of time I go riding. So, in retrospect, if he has, let’s say, other interests, that leaves me more time to be with Carlos.”