Mindbend

“Soon,” admitted Je

“Well, there you have it! What are we going to do for money? It’s not as if I can get a newspaper route after school. Oh God, what a mess. I don’t believe it.”

“There’s always my family,” said Je

Adam looked up. His lips had narrowed.

Je

“Oh, sure!” said Adam sarcastically.

“Really,” said Je

Adam closed his eyes and hit the top of his head with a closed fist. “I don’t believe this is happening.”

“My mother will enjoy having us,” added Je

“There’s no co

“She knows. It’s just the way she feels. Oh, Adam! It wouldn’t be so bad. We’ll have plenty of space, and you could use the attic room as a study.”

“No!” shouted Adam. “Thank you very much but we are not accepting charity from your parents. They already interfere in our life too much. Everything in this goddam dump is from your parents,” he said, gesturing around the room.

In the midst of her anxiety Je

“My parents have not been interfering. I think it is time for you to control your pride or whatever it is that gets you so angry anytime my parents try to help us. The fact of the matter is we need help.”

“You can call it what you will. I call it interfering. And I don’t want it, today, tomorrow, ever! We’re on our own and we’ll handle this by ourselves.”

“OK,” said Je

Adam stopped pacing and stared at Je

“How can you get a job?” asked Je

“I’ll take a leave from school,” said Adam.

Je

“Sure,” said Adam. “What kind ofjob? Cocktail waitress? Be serious, Je

“Then I’ll get an abortion,” said Je

Adam wheeled around so that he was facing his wife. Slowly he raised his hand and pointed his index flnger at her nose. “You’re not going to get an abortion. I don’t even want to hear that word.”

“Then go to your father,” said Je

Adam clenched his teeth. “We wouldn’t have to go to anybody if you just didn’t get yourself pregnant.”

The tears that Je

“You told me not to worry about babies,” snapped Adam, ignoring her tears. “You said that was your department. You did a great job!”

Je

For a moment Adam stared after her. He felt sick. His mouth was dry from all the wine he’d drunk. He looked at the cluttered table with the remains of their di

CHAPTER 4

Dr. Lawrence Foley pulled into his long winding driveway. The rambling stone mansion was still out of sight when he pressed the button that opened the garage door. Rounding the final group of elms, he could see the towers silhouetted against the night sky. The neo-Gothic castle in Greenwich had been built in the early twenties by an eccentric millionaire who’d lost everything in the crash of 1929 and blown his brains out with an elephant gun.

Laura Foley was in the upstairs sitting room when she heard the Jaguar enter the garage. At her feet, Ginger, their apricot toy poodle, lifted his head and growled as if he were a guard dog. Tossing aside the book she was reading, she looked up at the clock. It was quarter to ten and she was furious. She’d made di

Sitting on the couch, Laura contemplated what she should do. She could stay where she was and let Larry fend for himself in the kitchen, though she’d tried that before with no results. Until recently, her husband had been sensitive to her moods. But for some reason, ever since he’d come back from his medical meeting four months ago, he’d been generally cold and inconsiderate.

Noises drifted up the back stairs from the kitchen, suggesting that Larry was already making himself something to eat. Not bothering to come and say hello added insult to injury. Laura lifted her legs off the hassock, wiggled her toes into her sandals, and stood up. Walking over to a gilt frame mirror, she peered at herself. For fifty-six she looked pretty darn good. But over the last eight weeks Larry had shown absolutely no sexual interest in her. Could that be the reason for his new burst of professional enthusiasm? It had taken Larry and Clark Vandermer twenty years to build their practice to the point where they could concentrate on gynecology rather than obstetrics. And then Larry had thrown it all away. After coming back from that medical meeting, he’d calmly a

A crash interrupted Laura’s thoughts. That was another problem. Larry had become clumsy of late, as well as having lapses of attention. Laura wondered if he were on the verge of some sort of breakdown.

Deciding that it was time to confront her husband, Laua straightened her robe and started down the back stairs. Ginger followed at her heels.

She found Larry at the kitchen counter, eating a large sandwich and reading a medical journal. He’d taken off his jacket and had thrown it over the back of a chair. When he heard her enter, he looked up. His face had that curious slackness it had developed in recent weeks.

“Hello, dear,” he said in a flat tone.

Laura stood at the foot of the stairs, allowing her anger to build. Her husband looked at her for a moment, then went back to his journal.

“Why didn’t you call?” snapped Laura, infuriated by his attempt to ignore her.

Larry raised his head slowly and turned to face his wife. He didn’t speak.

“I asked you a question,” said Laura. “I deserve an answer. I’ve asked you a dozen times to call me if you are going to be late.”

Larry didn’t move.

“Did you hear me?” Laura stepped closer and looked into her husband’s eyes. The pupils were large, and he seemed to be looking right through her.