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Mr. Bows:
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Hello?
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Dr. Balis:
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Tom?
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Mr. Bows:
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Who is this?
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Dr. Balis:
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This is Dr. Balis.
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Mr. Bows:
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Oh? What do you want, Doctor?
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Dr. Balis:
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Well, I was hoping that we could talk.
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Mr. Bows:
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Really?
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Dr. Balis:
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I would like to talk to you about Sylvia.
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Mr. Bows:
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I don't think we have anything to talk about.
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Dr. Balis:
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Just wait a moment, Tom. I saw Sylvia a couple of days ago.
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Mr. Bows:
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I know.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you angry with me, Tom?
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Mr. Bows:
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I'm not sure that I want to discuss how I'm feeling with you, Doctor.
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Dr. Balis:
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Fair enough. Look, can we meet somewhere and talk?
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Mr. Bows:
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No, I don't think so. And...
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Dr. Balis:
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Just give me a moment. It was my impression that you and Sylvia were beginning to patch up your relationship. I thought that was a good thing for Sylvia and for the boys. But I also sensed that it was a good thing for you too, Tom. I know that Sylvia still has strong feelings for you.
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Mr. Bows:
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She has a funny way of showing it.
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Dr. Balis:
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That's not what I'm talking about.
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Mr. Bows:
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Well, go on.
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Dr. Balis:
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You feel betrayed right now because you found out that Sylvia had a number of extra-martial liaisons when you thought she had only one affair, is that right?
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Mr. Bows:
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Extra marital liaisons. That's a nice way of putting it. A Liaison. Have you seen the list, Doctor? Oh, I forgot...I'm sure you know every licentious detail. Did Sylvia describe them all to you, Doctor?
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Dr. Balis:
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I am her therapist and I do know that she wasn't interested in those men. She was only interested in getting pregnant.
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Mr. Bows:
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Richard wasn't enough? And why didn't she go to a sperm bank, for Christ's sake?
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Dr. Balis:
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Tom, I won't deny that there was an element of revenge in Sylvia's motivations. She was very angry at you when she first came and saw me. She wanted to hurt you and thought that this might be the way to penetrate your emotional shields. I understand that she raided the medical records of SII and only picked healthy men whom she considered genetically superior.
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Mr. Bows:
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She fucked Hal! Do you remember Hal, Doctor? I can't believe she fucked that homunculus! I just thought he was out of his mind. I didn't realize that she had given him quite so much encouragement.
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Dr. Balis:
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The important thing is that Sylvia wasn't interested in having any kind of relationship with these men. Richard was sort of a fluke--someone she turned to when things got really bad.
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Mr. Bows:
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Most people turn to their family for support.
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Dr. Balis:
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You know Sylvia couldn't ask her parents to help. And she did ask Rene to move to San Francisco.
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Mr. Bows:
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If I know Rene, she was probably the one who got her started on this idea in the first place.
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Dr. Balis:
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I don't think so, Tom. And I believe that you know just how important being a mother is to Sylvia. That was her driving force and the motivation behind all of her actions.
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Mr. Bows:
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Do you think Sylvia would have understood if I brought home a dozen or so women whom I had used to bear me children?
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Dr. Balis:
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Look,Tom, I do understand that you are very angry with Sylvia. But this isn't about turnabout or fair play. Sylvia was desperate and acted fairly outrageously. But she thought that you had betrayed her and she didn't consider herself married at the time...
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Mr. Bows:
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That's convenient.
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Dr. Balis:
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Remember what her mind set was after discovering that you had sterilized yourself. And although I know this will seem hard to believe, I think that Sylvia's desire to have multiple sexual partners in some ways was out of loyalty to you.
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Mr. Bows:
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I'm sorry?
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Dr. Balis:
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It's my experience that women are not comfortable with serial one-night stands. Women usually look for emotional contact with their lovers, even if only for a brief time. But that was clearly not what Sylvia wanted. She was thinking of these men as sperm donors and tried to keep the paternity of the child ambiguous even to herself. This was a way of not developing an attachment. If she knew who the father was, or had an affair only with one man, things would have turned out completely differently. She would not be living in your house right now. The reconciliation that almost took place between you two would not have been possible.
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Mr. Bows:
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I see your point, such as it is. But I find it difficult to be grateful that my wife fucked everyone in sight. She's unclean, Doctor. When I think of Sylvia, all I can think about is her willingness to let these hordes of men use her body to satisfy their lusts.
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Dr. Balis:
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Tom, I understand how that mental imagery would eat away at you. But remember how she chose these men. She went through their medical records. This was coldly calculated, having nothing to do with passion and lust.
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Mr. Bows:
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A whore does it for the money, Doctor. But she's still a whore.
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Dr. Balis:
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Tom, despite what you're saying to me right now, I know that you still love Sylvia.
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Mr. Bows:
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I've loved Sylvia most of my life. I'll probably go on loving her until I die. That may be my misfortune. But that doesn't mean that I could ever forgive her for what she's done. Could you, if you were in my place, Doctor? Could you really forgive not just with your words, but in your heart? Could you really hold her in your arms and not think about all those other men?
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Dr. Balis:
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Frankly, I don't know. But this is a pivotal point in your life, Tom. Don't make some knee jerk decision. You want to carefully think this through and decide what's really important to you. Don't make a rash decision that you'll regret later on.
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Mr. Bows:
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I never make rash decisions, Doctor Balis.
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Dr. Balis:
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I'm glad to hear that. May I suggest trying to find someone, perhaps in my profession, to talk to about this? You've got a lot of things to work out. Sometimes it's easier if there is someone neutral, who's completely uninvolved, to talk to about a problem.
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Mr. Bows:
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Thanks for your advice, Doctor. And now I think this conversation is over. Have a good day.
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Dr. Balis:
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Goodbye, Tom.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Telephone Call
Transcripts of Sylvia Bows' Therapy Sessions
