Evelyn's Case
A renowned psychiatrist becomes trapped and manipulated by a patient with multiple diagnoses.
By Eric W. Gershman
Literary Fiction, 15 minutes | Courtesy of Red Penguin Books
Dr. Martin Heinrich's afternoon appointments' included his suicidal client at 1 pm followed by Mrs. Meyers at 2:15. The morning had been his usual back-to-back sessions. He'd have time for a jog and a podcast interview before Evelyn was scheduled to slide onto his loveseat at 5:30 pm. The hour couldn't come soon enough.
A snow globe depicting an Austrian ski scene sat on a mahogany side table in his office. A letter from his publisher hung on the wall celebrating his book hitting the New York Times bestseller list.
"Can't we negotiate that book contract?" His wife asked again this morning. Lydia's life was now workout classes, spats with friends, and reading hefty novels in the quiet music store she owned in downtown Montpelier, Vermont. She used to play the piano in the living room. Breakfast was now their last movement together.
The Greek revival house they had purchased in town had bedrooms they had not ventured into in years. They had bought it for the children that never came. Now they held onto secrets like cheat notes from the teacher.
"It doesn't expire. It was my first book," he reminded her, trying to pour coffee from an empty pot.