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Dr. Balis:
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Hello?
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Mr. Mainor:
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Hello Doctor Balis. Do you mind if I come in for just a minute or two?
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Dr. Balis:
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Hello Hal. Not at all. Please come in.
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Mr. Mainor:
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Thank you Doctor. It won't take long.
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Dr. Balis:
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It's not a problem. I was just about done here. So I haven't seen you for a long time; what brings you here?
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Mr. Mainor:
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Well, do you remember our last conversation?
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Dr. Balis:
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Of course. I was hoping since I hadn't heard from you, that you changed your mind and abandoned your plans regarding Ms. Bows.
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Mr. Mainor:
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I thought you understood just how important this was to me. I was just doing what I told you--waiting until the holidays are over and then...well you know.
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Dr. Balis:
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But the holidays were over almost a month ago.
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Mr. Mainor:
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I've run into a bit of a snag--it seems that Sylvia had some sort of pregnancy problem and had to take off from work for awhile.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Mr. Mainor:
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I tried getting in touch with her, but I could only leave a voice or e-mail message. And, as you can imagine, this is the type of conversation that should be handled just right. I was hoping to speak with her in person. I want to do it right--get on my knees and that sort of thing. She deserves it.
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Dr. Balis:
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So you haven't been able to talk with Ms. Bows in person all this time?
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Mr. Mainor:
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You'd think that since I work directly under her it'd be easy!
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Dr. Balis:
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But she's been sick.
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Mr. Mainor:
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I guess. But the fact remains that I have no access to her right now. And I feel that time is running out and I just can't wait that much longer.
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Dr. Balis:
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So how do you think I can help, Hal?
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Mr. Mainor:
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I've been thinking. You're a company Doctor and all and probably have access to all that personal information that they keep on file about us somewhere, right?
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Dr. Balis:
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I...
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Mr. Mainor:
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You know, the medical stuff and insurance records...
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Dr. Balis:
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Hal...
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Mr. Mainor:
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Wait Doc, hear me out. I had this plan, you see, the next time they were going to messenger office stuff over to her, I was going to volunteer and bring it over to her house myself. I'd be a good Samaritan at work and what could be more natural, right?
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Dr. Balis:
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Right.
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Mr. Mainor:
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So I started to come in to the office every day for the last two week and nothing.
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Dr. Balis:
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What do you mean nothing?
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Mr. Mainor:
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I mean no more messengers, no more packages, no more anything. Zip.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Mr. Mainor:
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And it's not like our department has nothing going on right now either. We're swamped. But she is getting nothing and, what's more, no one has heard from her in awhile. Official word is that she is too sick to deal. But I don't think so.
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Dr. Balis:
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Why not?
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Mr. Mainor:
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I've been around. I know how it is when someone is getting ousted.
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Dr. Balis:
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You think that Sylvia is being fired?
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Mr. Mainor:
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It all points to that. First, Lloyd made this big deal about how Sylvia is going to continue running the operation but from her house. They even got a couple of guys going over there and setting things up. But a couple of weeks go by and she stops responding to messages. And I know her--that woman is driven. There is no way that she would voluntarily give up all her power like that. And then we get this memo that this guy, Nils Landors, from Advertising and Presentations is going to take over her job. But only for a while of course.
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Dr. Balis:
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Advertising and Presentations?
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Mr. Mainor:
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I thought it was strange too. Except he is Lloyd's buddy and he's been having these conversations with everyone in our department.
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Dr. Balis:
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What conversations?
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Mr. Mainor:
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Well, he called me in, closed the door, and started asking questions about Ms. Bows: Was she a good manager? Did she know what she was doing? Did I know anything that they should know? At first I thought that they knew about her and me and were just playing a sick game. I was waiting for him to ask if the baby was mine. But he let me go when I proved to be quite useless and stupid in answering his questions. Then I asked around the office and he'd been questioning everybody.
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Dr. Balis:
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What do you think he wants?
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Mr. Mainor:
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My bet is that Lloyd is figuring out a way to fire her and he got his buddy in to dig up some dirt just in case she sues or something.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Mr. Mainor:
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But for me Doc, I feel like my time is running out. She'll be history and I'll blow my last chance for happiness.
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Dr. Balis:
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I would like to talk to you about that, Hal.
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Mr. Mainor:
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Doc, I don't need a lecture in morality. I know what my responsibilities are. I'll take care of my wife and kids. With Sylvia's money, I'd even be able to do a decent job of it. And with losing the job and the new baby--my baby--on the way, Sylvia needs all the emotional support she can get. And I'm right here, ready to give it to her.
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Dr. Balis:
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What about your wife?
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Mr. Mainor:
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She has her career. That's all she ever wanted anyway. Look, I'm not asking for a lot. Just her address and private phone number--a way to reach her. I've been beating my head against the wall for the last two weeks. All you need to do is just take a quick look in SII's insurance database. In and out, quick. And you would know that you'd really made a difference in people's lives--Sylvia's and mine. If you feel like you can't do it for me, think of Sylvia. She is a good lady, she deserves your help.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hal, I would very much like to help you...
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Mr. Mainor:
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Good. Then just log-in for a few minutes...
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Dr. Balis:
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I mean I would like to talk to you about all this. Maybe help you come to see things clearer.
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Mr. Mainor:
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You mean that you won't help me? You are willing to destroy my life and the life of my unborn child and his mother just because you don't think that you agree with my decision of leaving my wife for Sylvia?
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Dr. Balis:
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It's not that I don't agree...
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Mr. Mainor:
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I'm disappointed with you, Doctor. Here you have a chance at making a real difference and all you want to do is talk about it.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hal, I'm worried that you are making a lot of assumptions and aren't really seeing your situation from an objective perspective.
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Mr. Mainor:
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Doctor, please don't accuse me of not thinking this through. I've been doing nothing but think about this for the last three months. I know what I need to do. If you refuse to help me, so be it. I'll get somebody else.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hal, please sit down. I would like to talk to you more about this.
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Mr. Mainor:
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There's nothing to talk about Doctor. You clearly don't wish to get involved. So be it. So long Doctor.
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Dr. Balis:
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What if I told you that Sylvia isn't interested in you.
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Mr. Mainor:
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What do you know about it?
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Dr. Balis:
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What if I told you that she is reconciling with her husband?
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Mr. Mainor:
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That bastard? The one who had the vascetomy and left her high and dry? She'd never go back to him.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you sure?
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Mr. Mainor:
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What do you know about it?
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Dr. Balis:
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I want to make sure that you properly challenge your own assumptions. You are assuming that she is sitting somewhere like a fairy princess waiting for you to come in and save her. But it might not be like that at all.
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Mr. Mainor:
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You're just playing a game with me. You don't know anything about it at all.
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Dr. Balis:
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Actually, I spend a fair amount of time at the hospital. I've seen Sylvia and her husband Tom there on several occassions. They certainly didn't look estranged to me. In fact, they seemed really happy together.
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Mr. Mainor:
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The hospital! I didn't even think of that. Of course. Thank you Dr. Balis. You've been a big help.
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Dr. Balis:
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Hal, wait. Can't we talk a bit more?
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Mr. Mainor:
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Look, I don't have time to waste with head-shrinking, Doc. I'll see you around.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Session
Transcripts of Hal Mainor's Therapy Sessions