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Chapter
23
Chapter 24 � Spring Break
At the end of the week before Spring Break was about to start, Ruthie
received an envelope from her father in Nebraska. She dreaded to think
of what it contained. Sure enough, it was an airplane ticket. She sighed
from frustration, because the last place she wanted to spend her week of
free time during Spring Break was Lincoln. Well, second to last.
Culiacan was at the absolute bottom of the list of places she�d want to
go.
Ruthie had been hoping to travel a bit with Mike, perhaps going as far
as Oregon. She at least had wanted Mike to take her to San Francisco so
she could see if there was anything she wanted in the shops of the
Castro District. The couple could have gone across the Golden Gate
Bridge and she would have added to the collection of pictures she had of
herself posing in the nude along the coast of Marin County. At the very
least she would have wanted a couple days at San Gregorio beach and
perhaps a day of hiking along one of the more isolated trails in the
mountains to the east. All of those possibilities were canceled, because
of that damn airplane ticket she was holding in her hand. Oh well, as
they always said, money talks and bullshit walks.
It turned out the ticket to Nebraska got her out of having to go to
Culiacan. The day after she got her ticket, Ruthie got a call from her
mother admitting that she had been right about her suspicions about her
cousin Alex. He had indeed joined the main gang operating in the
neighborhood where his family was living. For several weeks he was a
hellish arrogant little shit to deal with, but suddenly he calmed down
and was very afraid to go out of his father�s house. It was obvious he
had pissed off someone, because for several nights in a row a dark SUV
passed by the house and its occupants fired shots into the windows.
By mid-March Do�a Lisette had partially reconciled with her brother and
was on speaking terms with him. Upon hearing about the problems at his
place, she came up with the only solution that made any sense: take Alex
to Culiacan. There he could stay at his grandparents� house and have a
chance to cool off. Of course, knowing his character, it was just as
likely that Alex would get in trouble in Mexico, but at least Ruthie�s
uncle no longer would have to worry about his house being shot up.
So, on the weekend Spring Break started, Ruthie�s uncle, mother, and
cousin left Salinas by car and headed south. Do�a Lisette would have
forced her daughter to go along as well, but Ruthie already had the
airplane ticket to Lincoln. Ruthie�s mother was angry that she couldn�t
help out with Alex, but she understood that the only way her daughter could
continue with her studies was to make Jake happy enough to pay another
semester of tuition. So, Ruthie Burns was destined to travel to Nebraska
and not Sinaloa.
The lesser of two evils, but not by much, thought Ruthie to herself.
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On that same day her relatives left for Mexico, Mike took Ruthie to the
San Jose airport to catch her flight to Lincoln. She could not have
known it, but her boyfriend was relieved that she would not be around to
distract him from his job and his temporary assignment collecting money
from meters. Collections would continue unabated during the week of
vacation, because there were several conferences on campus and
orientation for high school seniors planning to enter the university in
the summer or the fall. The dorms and classrooms would be empty, but the
visitor parking lots and their meters would be as full as ever.
Every day Mike helped himself to a bucket of quarters from the jammed
meters. He had his late-afternoon routine established: first the stop at
the hidden handicap spot where he moved the quarters into his backpack,
and then the stop behind his car where he transferred the backpack full
of coins into the trunk and put an empty replacement backpack in the
truck. Mike had bought a second backpack identical to his first one,
because he realized if he had a backpack at the beginning of each shift
and did not have it at the end, it could look suspicious.
By the end of the third week Sam was on vacation Mike had taken in
enough money to pay down his credit cards and pay several pending
expenses such as a dentist appointment and servicing his car. He knew
better than to deposit his illicit income in his bank, because deposits
of coins could easily be traced if he were caught. The initial bucket of
money was something he couldn�t help, because he urgently had to pay off
his overdraft charge. However, afterwards he was careful to avoid doing
anything that might create a paper trail or draw attention at his bank.
He never tried depositing a backpack full of quarters a second time. He
simply wrapped the coins and used them to make cash purchases, leaving
his legitimate paycheck in his bank account to pay bills.
Mike was both nervous and content as he ran around being able to make
any small purchase he wanted and watching his credit card balances as
they started to shrink. Yes, this was the life, the way things ought to
be. Why should he have to worry about monetary problems while those frat
fags and football thugs and sorority bitches with the fake tits got to
do whatever they wanted? Because having Mike suffer in poverty was God�s
plan? Well if it was, then to Hell with God and the �Divine Plan�. I�ll
make my own �Divine Plan�. Let someone else be poor and virtuous. I want
to be like those rich assholes I�m always ticketing.
Mike�s inner being continued its transformation as the weeks passed. His
thoughts were on grabbing as much money as he could and doing what he
felt was needed to avoid being caught. He had not thought about any of
the political or social justice issues that previously had obsessed him
since he grabbed that first bucket of coins. Now that he had money, he
wanted to relax and enjoy his life. He continued with his studies of
course, and would do what was necessary pass his classes for the
semester. However, inwardly he realized that he would never be a
pharmacist, so the only point in continuing that portion of his studies
was to meet his science requirements. As for political science, for the
first time, he viewed what he was studying with detachment. Not exactly
apathy, but he no longer felt so connected to the world of political
decision-making.
He wondered about Sam, who must have been doing what he was doing for
decades. It was obvious Sam was very comfortable; having figured out how
to take just enough for his needs, but not too much to raise suspicions
in the department. That�s what I need to do, thought Mike to himself.
Get a gig like what Sam has, strike a balance, and just relax.
Money for nothing�that�s the way you do it�
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Ruthie�s trip to see her father started badly. Her airplane was buffeted
by wind for the entire journey between her stopover in Salt Lake City
and Lincoln. As it crossed the Rocky Mountains, the plane shuddered
upwards, then dropped�shuddered upwards, and dropped�shuddered upwards,
and dropped�
Ruthie was terrified as the rough air jerked the plane around. It was
weird, because if someone had told her before getting on a flight that
the plane was going to crash, she really wouldn�t have cared. However,
now that she was actually in the air, her instincts of fear and
self-preservation took over as a result of the constant shaking and
falling. By the time her plane finally touched the runway in Lincoln,
her nerves were completely rattled.
It was not the best time for Ruthie to go for a ride on her father�s
motorcycle, but that�s what he had driven to the airport. Ruthie
clutched her father in raw terror when he got onto the highway and
blasted 75 miles per hour in between all the trucks and SUV�s. It just
went to show how oblivious Jake Burns was to other people�s feelings, to
show up at the airport riding his fucking motorcycle and run her down
the freeway at 75 miles per hour after that traumatic flight she had to
endure. Ruthie was so scared that she pissed in her jeans�and yes�Jake
Jr. and Jake�s girlfriend were at the house waiting for her�and she
showed up with her pants all wet.
So�that was the beginning of Ruthie�s second trip to her old home in
Nebraska. She spent the first night watching Jake Jr. while her father
and his girlfriend went out drinking. She didn�t mind her half-brother
that much, but after he went to sleep she sat in the living room
thinking �what the fuck am I doing here?� She went outside. She badly
wanted to walk off her anxiety, but her sense of commitment held her
back. She couldn�t leave Jake Jr. alone very long. What if the kid woke
up and got scared, or her father came back to find her not in the house?
Better not to go wandering off�
The next day Ruthie learned why her father had wanted her to visit
Lincoln. He took her to a couple of community colleges and told her that
she needed to inquire about transferring her credits. He explained that
he agreed with her being in college, but there was no sense in studying
in California because �the lefties have that state so messed up. No
point in me paying for their screw-ups.�
Ruthie was dismayed that her father was telling her that she needed to
transfer to one of the community colleges in Nebraska with no input from
her whatsoever. She was infuriated, but said nothing because she did not
want to have a fight with him and then have to spend the rest of the
stay at his house in bitter silence. She vacillated between wanting to
tell him off at the airport when she went back home and thinking that
maybe she should at least look into the possibility of studying in
Nebraska. From a financial point of view it did make sense�
However, from the perspective of Ruthie�s personality and overall
outlook on life, moving to Nebraska made no sense at all. Among other
things, there were no nude beaches nearby and there was no chance
whatsoever she could wear her favorite dress or run around with no
underwear without being arrested. She looked at the conservative
swimsuits of women swimming in the pool of one of the community colleges
and rolled her eyes.
Then there was politics. Her father�s talk radio programs and his
constant belittling of California and the �Left Coast� very much got on
Ruthie�s nerves. During that second trip, Ruthie realized how much from
the �Left Coast� she really was. Maybe she didn�t fit into Davenport,
but there was no way she ever could hope to fit into Nebraska. As far a
she was concerned, everything about the state was wrong: from the
weather to the morality to the politics to the people�all wrong. She
wouldn�t be able handle it.
So she was screwed. Her father was not going to pay for another semester
in Davenport and she would not be able to tolerate a move to Nebraska.
After several days of total frustration with her father, she disappeared
from the house and spent an hour walking to the cemetery where her
grandmother was buried. She sat on the ground staring at her grave.
Ruthie reflected: it�s not Davenport I�d miss, because I hate Davenport.
It�s Mike. The only reason my life doesn�t totally suck is because of
Mike.
She realized that, as much as she didn�t want to admit it, the worst
part about moving to Nebraska would be that it would force her to end
her relationship with her boyfriend. That would totally suck, because
Mike was the only friend that she had. Her life had been so lonely over
the past six years, and now because of that one special person it was
tolerable. To come to Nebraska would mean giving up the support she had
received from him. How could she do that?
And yet�realizing how much she needed Mike did not make her feel any
better. It sucks to know that one�s life and happiness is completely
dependent on another person.
This sucks�my life sucks�it all sucks. Suddenly depression hit her. She
knew it was going to be a bad episode as she felt the cold numbness flow
into her body. She felt weighted down and helpless. She had no desire
whatsoever to continue with her life. She wished that fucking plane had
hit a wind-shear and crashed in the Rockies. She spent an hour staring
listlessly at her grandmother�s grave, before working up the energy she
needed to walk back home.
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Ruthie returned to California more stressed than ever. She had not given
her father a firm answer on studying in Nebraska because in the back of
her mind she was hoping that some miracle would put off that decision
and that she could stay in California over the next year. And yet, she
did not want to risk cutting off the only financial support she could
count on. The only thing she could think to do was to delay as much as
possible, which was not much of an option because the end of the spring
semester was less than two months away.
Mike was waiting for her at the airport. He was worried, because he had
received a call from Ruthie�s mother. He related to her that Do�a
Lisette was crying over the phone and he could barely understand what
she was trying to say, apart from asking Ruthie to call her immediately
upon getting off the plane.
There was more bad news coming Ruthie�s way the moment she dialed her
mother. While Do�a Lisette was in Mexico, her apartment had been
burglarized. Ruthie would later find out from the police report that the
residence was raided several times, because the criminals realized that
no one was home and they could help themselves to Do�a Lisette�s
belongings at their leisure. They took all of her appliances, most of
her furniture, and even some of her clothes. It was a devastating loss
to someone who already was broke.
Without saying anything more, Mike drove south towards Salinas so that
he and Ruthie could see what they could do to help her mother. There
wasn�t much to be done. The apartment had been totally cleaned out.
Ruthie�s mother was sitting on an old sofa, the only piece of furniture
in the living room the criminals had not bothered to take. Her aunt was
sitting next to her, trying to comfort her.
Finally Ruthie�s aunt took her mother out of the apartment and over to
her brother�s place. It was up to Ruthie and her boyfriend to clean up.
A few pictures and books were scattered about, but not many. Most of
Do�a Lisette�s personal items had been taken. The kitchen was cleaned
out, totally. They only found a couple of broken coffee cups and a few
dirty spoons and a fork. The criminals even took the two beds. There was
some clothing dumped on the floor, enough to fill a large suitcase.
However, they would have to buy one, because the suitcases had been
stolen as well. Mike volunteered to get a couple of replacement
suitcases and some cleaning supplies. He handed over several rolls of
his quarters at the store and came back. They had Do�a Lisette�s
remaining possessions packed within a few minutes. The only thing left
was the forlorn task of clearing out the debris.
When Mike and Ruthie finished cleaning the apartment, they wondered what
to do about the left-over sofa. It had been left behind by the burglars
because it was in such shoddy condition it was not worth taking. Ruthie
decided to leave it by the dumpster. As they struggled moving the piece
of furniture they saw several tough-looking teenagers smirking at them.
They realized it was very likely those were the guys who broke into the
apartment. However, there was nothing they could do, because the police
were not seriously pursuing burglaries due to budget cuts and they
certainly were not going to question the teenagers on just a hunch from
the victim�s daughter and her boyfriend. Ruthie noticed the colors and
tattoos of the teenagers were different from those of Alex�s gang. She
wondered if Alex�s gang problems may have had anything to do with the
burglary, if her mother had specifically been targeted because she was
his relative.
As they left the apartment complex, Ruthie had an observation:
�You know�my mom�s been in this country for 20 years. 20 years, Mike.
And now�everything she was ever able to buy�over all that time�got
ripped off. Every fucking thing she bought. And it�s all �cause of that
asshole Alex and his fucking gang-banger shit!�
Mike didn�t respond, but he reflected that had Do�a Lisette not been
forced to move in the first place, she would not have been robbed. It
was inevitable in that squalid complex that sooner or later Ruthie�s
mother would have been burglarized while she was at work. Mike blamed
Do�a Lisette�s employer more than he blamed Alex.
When they showed up at the house of Ruthie�s uncle there was more
unpleasantness. Ruthie�s aunt came out and took the suitcases with Do�a
Lisette�s remaining clothing. She told Ruthie that she was not welcome
in the house and went back inside. Ruthie understood that her mother and
her uncle had made up, but the reconciliation did not extend to her.
After all, it was Ruthie who knew about Rosa�s plans to run away and
failed to say anything.
On their way back to Davenport, Ruthie realized there was a huge irony
in her mother�s situation. Do�a Lisette was staying at her brother�s
place, with two suitcases of old clothing and nowhere else to live. Her
situation was exactly the same as it had been 15 years earlier when she
fled Nebraska and re-settled in California. All of her efforts over
those 15 years to work and build up a decent life for herself and her
daughter had resulted in nothing.
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The following day was Sunday. Ruthie�s mother called her and asked her
to meet her at church. Ruthie knew that during her worst moment of
crisis she should have played along with her mother�s religious beliefs,
but she no longer could bring herself to do so. In a calm voice that was
rare for her, she responded:
�Mom, I can�t go to church anymore. It�s not that I don�t want to, it�s
that I can�t. After everything that has happened to us, there�s no way
I�ll ever love God. I�m not gonna worship something I hate.�
Ruthie�s mother countered that, especially at that moment when God was
testing her, Ruthie must not give up her faith. She cited the book of
Job and Christ�s tribulations on the cross, saying what they went
through was much worse than the loss of a job and some possessions.
Ruthie thought about telling her mother the truth; that she had not
believed in God since she was 15, but fortunately her thinking was fast
enough to prevent her from making that mistake. In the typical Christian
tradition of blaming everyone and everything except God and one�s own
faith, Do�a Lisette would have latched onto Ruthie�s atheism as the
reason why God was punishing the family. It would be much better for
Ruthie to let her mother believe that it was the recent problems that
made her lose her faith. Maybe that would get Do�a Lisette to thinking
and bring her to her senses. Of course, Ruthie should have known that
could never happen because her mother was not a reflective person and
did not have the education or experiences to change one set of beliefs
for another. Her faith was all she had, and the most recent problems
would only make her cling to her religion more fervently than ever.
Ruthie repeated: �I�m not going to church anymore. No church. Not your
church, not Mike�s church, not Cristina�s church. I�m done with God. And
as for Jesus, he didn�t save anyone. He couldn�t even save himself. I�m
sorry, Mom, but that�s the way it�s gonna be.�
�You can�t turn your back on God!�
�God turned his back on us a long time ago. If God exists and has
anything to say to me, he knows where to find me.�
The conversation continued along those lines for several minutes, but
finally Do�a Lisette hung up, convinced that she had �lost� her
daughter. Tears were running down Ruthie�s cheeks, but her patience with
her mother�s faith finally had run out. She couldn�t keep up the act any
more.
When Ruthie told the story to Mike, he had nothing to say or add.
Inwardly he felt that Ruthie had made a mistake by choosing that moment
to tell her mother that she no longer believed in God, but it was done
and could not be reversed. Mike knew that Ruthie�s mother would view the
�loss� of her daughter as just one more of the Lord�s tests and that
Ruthie�s actions would not lessen her faith in the least. The only thing
Ruthie had accomplished was irreparable damage to her relationship with
Do�a Lisette. He wondered, with the feud between his Ruthie and her
uncle over Rosa and the break with her mother over religion, if his
girlfriend had permanently cut herself off from her family. He saw
nothing good coming out of what had just happened, nor did he have his
normal reaction of hoping that Ruthie would be more completely dependent
on him. He saw the conversation for what it was; an unfortunate event
that would further isolate and demoralize his girlfriend.
The day promised to be pleasant, so they drove northward to San Gregorio
beach. Ruthie was agitated, but soon the feeling of being naked in that
attractive place and having the opportunity to walk around calmed her
down. She and Mike even went into the ocean for a few minutes, in spite
of the large waves and cold water temperature. They shivered when they
got out, but then warmed up as the sun hit their bare bodies. It felt so
good to be naked in the open air. Ruthie would not have this same
pleasure in Nebraska. No, she couldn�t give up the opportunity to go to
the beach. Maybe the trips were no as frequent as she would like, but
they were one of the small things in life that helped keep her somewhat
sane.
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The following day classes started up again. The weather was very nice,
so after lunch Ruthie decided to wear the green dress Mike had given her
over Christmas. After she put it on, she looked at herself in the
mirror, admiring her almost naked body. It was exciting to think she�d
be outdoors, in the view of thousands of people, in just a minute. As
she went out, many of the guys in the hallway couldn�t take their eyes
off her. The warmth of the sun hit her bare back and hips as the breeze
flowed freely under the thin cloth. She could feel the open air against
her bare bottom and pussy. It felt so good to be outdoors with so little
on.
The only uncomfortable moment was in a seminar class that was taught by
a TA who clearly did not approve of what Ruthie was wearing. She kept
getting unpleasant looks from the woman and had to slip out quickly at
the end of the hour before the TA had a chance to talk to her about her
lack of clothing. OK�good thing to know�If Ruthie was going to attend
class in either of her two skimpy dresses, it would be best to only go
to the larger lecture classes and not to any seminars.
Later that afternoon there was a pleasant surprise for Ruthie, because
the art class for which she was modeling would take advantage of the
warming weather and move outside. The professor ordered his students to
take their sketchpads to the grassy area behind the art building. Ruthie
carried her dorm blanket and laid it on the grass. She kicked off her
shoes and pulled her dress over her head. She totally enjoyed the
thought of being naked in a public area of the university, in full sight
of the sidewalk and both the art building and the back side of the
library. People walked by and looked at her as they passed. This was
totally great; a chance to play exhibitionist and be paid for it. As
always, during the break Ruthie did not bother to put her dress back on.
She simply wandered among the students, curious to see if the drawings
done of her outdoors were any different from the ones done of her
indoors.
The professor marveled at his model�s brazen behavior, but by the middle
of the semester he had gotten used to it. That was fine, because one
topic he wanted to explore was photography and using photos to create
drawings. He knew that Ruthie would have no problem being photographed
by his students, but was curious to see how far he could push her. He
instructed his class to bring cameras for the next session, preferably
ones with traditional film, but digital cameras would be fine as well.
He stated that if anyone had a camera capable of using black & white
film that would really be great.
The next day, 40 students in two classes spent two hours photographing
Ruthie in the area around the back of the art building. Ruthie assumed
various artistic poses before following her professor�s instructions to
walk and run around the lawn. A lot of passersby had stopped to watch
and some of them had taken out their cell phones to snap pictures.
Ruthie loved those two hours, the feeling of showing herself to so many
people and knowing that the photos taken of her would be circulating.
The professor would have been nervous forcing any other model to be so
publicly exposed, but it was obvious for this type of assignment Ruthie
was perfect. He definitely would have to offer her more work over the
summer and during the next school year.
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Dr. Hartman e-mailed Ruthie on the morning of her first appointment
after Spring Break to remind her about the essay she had requested
concerning her fantasies about Mrs. Peters. The counselor really did not
know what to expect from her client: she would not have been surprised
had Ruthie totally forgotten about the assignment. Well, Ruthie�s
lengthy e-mail proved that she definitely had not forgotten. During her
lunch break Hartman stared transfixed at her computer screen as she read
her client�s narrative. She learned a lot about the student during that
reading, among other things that Ruthie could express herself in her
writing far better than she could express herself talking. Hartman was
able to clearly visualize Ruthie�s imaginary life as she read through
the series. Yes, the fantasy really did have a hold on the girl.
When the student showed up in her office, Hartman was curious to know
how Ruthie�s crush on Mrs. Peters ended. Did her attention simply move
elsewhere, or was there some event that disillusioned her? During the
session she asked Ruthie that question:
�No, I never got over Mrs. Peters. What happened was the school year
ended and she was only teaching freshman-level classes. I really wanted
to get into another one of her classes, and I tried, but my school
counselor said �no, you�re not taking a freshman-level class just
because you want to be with your favorite teacher.� So, I didn�t get
into any of her classes and I didn�t see much of her over the next year.
Anyhow, I was doing all this reading at home�this was when I started
getting into ancient history and Rome and Biblical times and was
starting to realize how the Bible was put together.�
�So you were able to forget about Mrs. Peters?�
�I didn�t say that. No. I never forgot about her. I wanted to see her,
but I knew I couldn�t and I knew I couldn�t talk to anybody about it. I
mean�how could I have told anyone what I was feeling and what I wanted?
Anyhow, something happened around Halloween of my sophomore year, that
kinda upset me, I mean�I felt totally stupid�but it really affected me.
There was this big school function�family day�and the students were
supposed to bring their parents and the teachers were supposed to bring
their husbands and kids�and here Mrs. Peters shows up with her husband
and this kid that must have been about five or so. Yes, I know�her name
was Mrs. Peters so she was gonna have a husband because of that, but�you
know�I was having all these fantasies and I wasn�t thinking about her
husband�and then I saw him and realized that everything I was thinking
about me and her was a bunch of shit. Here she was, walking around with
this guy and this kid�and�I don�t know how to say it�but it kinda�you
know�affected me.�
�Ruthie, you need to understand that you weren�t in love with Mrs.
Peters. You were in love with a fantasy that you created yourself. The
only thing Mrs. Peters did was put a face on that fantasy. Have you ever
thought about it like that?�
Hartman�s words cut at Ruthie, because no, she had not thought about her
love for Mrs. Peters like that. All that emotion and affection and
lusting and daydreams�all of that was nothing but a fantasy that she
herself had created? That she was not in love with the real Mrs. Peters?
She would have rejected that idea, but it was true that Ruthie�s
fantasies with her teacher never included anything having to do with the
woman�s real life. While Ruthie spent her time daydreaming and
masturbating, Mrs. Peters was taking care of her kid and probably
cooking dinner for her husband. So all of it was all an illusion; the
imaginary personality that Ruthie had assigned to her teacher. Nothing
but a fantasy. It was hard for Ruthie to accept that she was in love
with a figment of her imagination and not with a real person, but she
knew Hartman was right. She couldn�t have been in love with Mrs. Peters
because the Mrs. Peters of her sexual fantasies existed only in her
mind. The real Mrs. Peters was totally different.
Unfortunately, during Ruthie�s sophomore year there was no one who could
explain to Ruthie what was going on with her crush on her teacher.
Ruthie was disappointed, but she couldn�t articulate to herself why she
was so disappointed. Now Hartman had helped her dig up that memory and
offered her a good explanation. She went back to her feelings and her
reaction:
�I dunno. When I saw her family, all I wanted to do was go home
and�like�hit myself�or poison myself like those Roman women did if
things weren�t going well in their lives. I was thinking about God and
what a sicko I was and how fucked up I was�I felt like total shit. I
know it was stupid to feel that way, but it�s how I felt.�
�Wait a sec�let�s back up. Was that the first time you thought about
killing yourself? Because of that school event where your teacher showed
up with her husband?�
�No�I was thinking about it before�kind of�but it was the first time I
seriously wanted to do anything�I was totally depressed that I had been
wrong about Mrs. Peters, but I never figured out how to do it right,
kill myself, I mean. I wanted to try hemlock�you know like what that
Greek philosopher Socrates did�that sounded like a really neat way to
go�but I couldn�t find the recipe. But I did start doing something
else��
The counselor waited for her client to continue, but Ruthie started
fidgeting and stared at the floor. Finally Hartman got tired of waiting.
She looked at the clock and saw that there were only a few minutes
remaining in the session.
�Would you feel comfortable sharing it?�
Ruthie blushed furiously. �It was something really weird�that I
did�really�I guess�it was kinda perverted��
�I think �perverted� is in the eye of the beholder, Ruthie. I�ve talked
to a lot of people about a lot of things and I have seen a lot of
things. Unless you�re doing something that�s hurting someone else, I
don�t think it�s very easy to shock or offend me.�
Ruthie became very agitated as she glanced at the clock. She badly
wanted to tell Dr. Hartman her secret, but felt that she needed to tell
the entire story from beginning to end. There wasn�t enough time for
that. Another urge hit her. OK, Dr. Hartman�you really want to know
about me? You say nothing can shock you? Well, we�ll see about that. She
continued staring at the floor and fidgeted.
�Dr. Hartman�it�s a long story�and I�I got some pictures�and�maybe you
ought to see them�and then�I�ll tell you�I can tell you�you know�what I
did��
�You want to show me some pictures? Ones that you took?�
Ruthie blushed and nodded.
�Alright then, we�ll leave it for next time. The clock�s not much of a
friend to us, is it?�
Ruthie shook her head.
Chapter
25
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