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Ms. Rozzi:
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Doctor Balis, I think you have some explaining to do!
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Dr. Balis:
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Miss Rozzi! What...uh, where's Alex?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Excuse me, it's Mrs. Jarrod now, notice the rock? But you can call me Larraine. Alex is in jail, that's where he is!
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Dr. Balis:
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Jail?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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You heard me correctly--jail! They took him into custody Sunday afternoon. His old friend Benny was found quite severely beaten and unconscious in the Marin Headlands this past Saturday evening. He's at Marin General, comatose. Alex is being charged with everything under the sun: from aggravated assault and battery to attempted murder plus a few other things. You name it.
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Dr. Balis:
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Oh no!
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Ms. Rozzi:
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No shit! They already held a few hearings on Monday. One was whether to try him as an adult or a juvenile. They decided to try him as an adult. The other was the bail hearing, and even though the judge set bail...well, I wasn't about to pay it!
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Dr. Balis:
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You weren't? You didn't?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Are you kidding? Absolutely not! I don't have a hundred thousand dollars just lying around. Plus, Alex is a menace to society; he belongs in jail! My family lawyer, Cecil, has his hands full, to say the least. Alex alone keeps Cecil so busy he doesn't need any other clients. This is going to cost us a bundle. Cecil is trying to get the DA to release a copy of some videotape Alex apparently made while torturing Benny--it's as stupid as it sounds. They also believe someone else was involved somehow, but I don't really understand that part of it at this point. And Alex is not cooperating at all. God, I get so worried about my little Aaron.
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Dr. Balis:
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Why?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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He's so much like Alex was--a good baby, almost too good, perfect in every way. He's beautiful, like Alex, and he sleeps through the night, doesn't fuss. And he's so advanced--again, so much like Alex was...well, from what I can remember--I didn't pay much attention to the boy back then. My mother took Alex almost immediately after he was born. She used to go on and on about what a good baby he was, an angel, so good-natured and smart. And she tried many times to force him on me, but I don't...well, I didn't want anything to do with him. Every time I looked at him, it hurt me. He reminded me that Mark abandoned me. And I...uh, I couldn't seem to handle...why are we talking about this anyway? I didn't come here to talk about me.
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Dr. Balis:
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What did you come here to talk about?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Alex! I came here to talk about Alex. So my fear is that Aaron is so much like Alex was as a baby, and I worry that he'll end up making up for how easy he was as a baby just like Alex has, by being a constant pain in the ass, a regular headache, and a disappointment.
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Dr. Balis:
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Is that how you see Alex? Is he a disappointment?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Well, wouldn't you? This year alone has been one thing after another. It's constant high drama. Let me see, there was the shoplifting embarrassment. Then all the legal trouble with that girl, that vampire-girl Regina. And now this thing with Benny, again. How much more do I have to put up with? My mind can't rest, and I can't sleep because of Alex and his antics.
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Dr. Balis:
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Larraine, do you love Alex?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Uh? What do you mean?
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Dr. Balis:
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Do you love your son, Larraine?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Well, of course I do! What kind of a stupid question is that?
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Dr. Balis:
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Well, if you love your son, why don't you tell him that? Why don't you show it? It's hard to see love when it is always under a thick blanket of criticism. I think that part of Alex's problem comes from his belief that he isn't loved or wanted by his mother.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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I'm not...uh, I don't know what to say.
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Dr. Balis:
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I don't mean to imply that you don't actually love Alex. But I do think you have a hard time showing him your love.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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I guess I could...uh, I could try, but...
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Dr. Balis:
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But what?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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What about him? Or me? Can't I get a little respect here, too? My family goes through such hell because of him. Mark seems to think that if Alex lived with us, we'd have more control over him. But little does he know that Alex is far beyond control, and that if Alex lived with us, I'd be the one sitting in a shrink's office every week. I ask myself if he'll ever change or...you know, Doctor, Alex has been seeing you for how long? A year?
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Dr. Balis:
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About a year and a half, actually.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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So when are we going to start seeing some change here? Can you tell me when? What do you two do here anyway? It's always the same crap with him, you know? What kind of doctor are you anyway?
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Dr. Balis:
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I beg your pardon, Ms. Rozzi?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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That's Mrs. Jarrod!
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Dr. Balis:
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Excuse me, Larraine, I believe that Alex has made great strides this year. Think back to a year ago, would you? When he came here, he was not able to control his rage, he assaulted people on the slightest provocation. Alex was unstable. He ran away from home. He was involved in prostitution. All that has changed now. For the most part, Alex learned how control his emotions and to cope with his situation. This is a big change for the boy I met a year and a half ago. But there are still problems, problems that neither Alex nor I have any control over. Primarily, there is the problem of Benny. Benny's trial was very hard on Alex. And now his release and a new trial...it was a lot for a child to handle. You looked shocked--yes, a child. Alex is still a child, even though he looks and sometimes acts like an adult. And Benny is a very strong force in your boy's life. Whatever happened, Alex would not have done something violent without provocation. I am certain of that.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Now you sound like Katherine Lippard.
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Dr. Balis:
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Oh?
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Ms. Rozzi:
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She's the only person Alex is willing to talk to apparently. When I saw him in jail, he refused to speak to me at all. He didn't even look at me. And he's not eating, either. He's just lying curled up in a ball in his cell, and he looks like hell. But somehow, he managed to get hold of that woman and solicit her help. When I spoke to her over the phone today...well, rather, when she spoke to me, she told me that whatever happened to Alex is far more than we all know and understand right now--Katherine said that there is more to all of this. Really? What more could there possibly be? Alex sought out and assaulted this man. It was revenge, plain and simple. And now he deserves to be in jail for that. And that is why I left him there! But no, Miss High and Mighty, damn her, had to go and put up his bail money. Oh yes. Don't look so surprised. Yes, she did it. Miss Katherine Lippard put up the bail money to get Alex out. They plan to release him tonight, I believe. Talk about a pain in the ass! That bitch has been a thorn in my side far too long.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hmm.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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This little friendship she has with Alex...ha! What's a woman her age doing with a seventeen-year-old boy? He's just a child, you said it. What do they talk about? I wonder what's wrong with her that she needs men so young? Can't she find someone her own age? Imagine that! She and I are the same age. Can you imagine me being friends with a seventeen-year-old?
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Dr. Balis:
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Hmm.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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You know, Doctor, if I don't start seeing some positive changes in Alex, I may find myself going to my employer and health insurance company and making a formal complaint against you!
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Dr. Balis:
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Ms. Jarrod, I don't respond well to threats. Obviously, you're free to take whatever actions you feel are appropriate.
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Ms. Rozzi:
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Just try me, Doctor! I'm sure I am not your first dissatisfied customer. Just you try me. Goodbye!
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Dr. Balis:
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Goodbye, Ms. Jarrod.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Conversation
Transcripts of Alex Rozzi's Communications
