Kidnap, Part 14

Kidnap
slimv2001@yahoo.com
Part 14

Dr. Sally Freeman was a licensed marriage councilor with a P.H.D. in clinical
psychology.  Judging by the diploma on her office wall, Pete guessed she was
in her late 30's.  She was attractive but didn't wear a wedding ring.  Her
soft-spoken voice put the couple at ease.

She asked them to describe the quality of their marriage up to the point of
the kidnapping.  She asked them about their daughter Tammy.  They talked
about Linda's ordeal with Dr. Blacklung.

Linda liked Dr. Freeman.  Maybe it was because she let her smoke in her
office.

"So tell me about your mother Peter," said Dr. Freeman.

"What?  You want to blame our problems on my mother?" asked Pete.

"Not directly," said Dr. Freeman.  "But its quite plausible that you're
mother plays a subconscious role.  After all, you're primary complaint
against your marriage stems from Linda's smoking.   I seem to recall you
saying something about your mother smoking.  I'd like to hear more about
that, especially your childhood experiences."

Linda lit a cigarette and leaned back in her chair and listened as Pete
described his childhood.

"My mom smokes a lot", said Peter.  She's always smoked a lot for as long as
I can remember."

"What brand does she smoke?" asked Dr. Freeman.

"She smokes Winstons.  She's always smoked Winstons.  Why?  Does that mean
anything?" asked Pete.

"Not that I know of," said Dr. Freeman.  "Please continue.  Did it bother you
that your mother smoked when you were growing up?"

"Not really," said Peter.  "I guess I never thought about it much."

"So you're saying you didn't notice that your mother smoked?" asked Dr.
Freeman.

"Of course not," said Pete.  "I guess I just accepted it."

"Is your mother an attractive woman?" asked Dr. Freeman.

"I think she is," said Pete.

"Did you think she was attractive when she was smoking?" asked Dr. Freeman.

Peter thought about the question.  He didn't like the direction of this
conversation.

"Look," said Peter.  "I'll answer your question but I want you to know I'm
not a pervert.  Yes, I thought my mother looked pretty when she smoked but
don't ask me if I wanted to have sex with her because I didn't.  Isn't it OK
to just love your mother for being your mother?"

"Of course it is Peter," said Dr. Freeman.  "I didn't mean to imply that you
had incestuous feelings toward your mother.  You're not on trial here.  No
one is.  I'm just trying to help.  Tell me Peter, did you ever want to try
your mother's cigarettes?"

Linda's ears perked at the question and she took another puff.  She'd never
thought of her husband as a smoker.  In fact she couldn't imagine him with a
cigarette.

"I tried it when I was 14," said Peter.

"And...?" asked Dr. Freeman.

"And I hated it!" said Peter.

"And did your mother or father ever find out that you tried her cigarettes?"

"My mother caught me," admitted Peter.

"Was she upset when she caught you?" asked Dr. Freeman.

"She was furious," said Peter.  "She told me I was stupid and she said I
disgusted her."

"That must have hurt your feelings," said Dr. Freeman.  "In most start
smoking situations like the one you described, the child yearns for the
parent's approval.  Wasn't this the case with you?"

Peter slumped in his chair.  "I guess it was," he confessed.  "I know it
sounds stupid, but I wanted to smoke like my mom.  I thought she'd love me
more."

"Until you were caught you kind of liked the idea of smoking.  Perhaps you
even romanticized it?" asked Dr. Freeman.

Peter nodded his head.

"From what you've told me, I think it would be fair to assume that your
hatred of smoking coincides with your mother's disapproval of your own
smoking.  Tell me Peter.  How does your mother feel about Linda smoking?"

"She doesn't have a problem with Linda," he said.  "As far as Mom's
concerned, Linda is one of the gang."

"Do you think you're mother would still disapprove if wanted to take up
smoking now?" asked Dr. Freeman.

"His mother would kill him," volunteered Linda.  "And so would I."

Dr. Freeman turned her attention to Linda.  "Why do you say that Linda?
Peter isn't a child.  He's a grown man."

"I don't care if he's 100 years old and neither does his mother," said Linda.
"Peter isn't going to start smoking!"

"I don't want to smoke!" shouted Peter.

"Relax," said Dr. Freeman.  "We're just speaking hypothetically.  Mr.
Torrance, I'm glad you don't smoke and you should never start.  However, your
mother is responsible for instilling some rather deep and misguided feelings
in your head.  Smokers aren't bad people and they're not trashy.  Neither
your mother nor your wife is bad.  They're just addicted to a bad habit.
That's all.  Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Peter nodded.  He understood but understanding didn't make him feel better.
In his heart he knew she was right.  But it still pissed him off.  He didn't
want to smoke but he was angry that he didn't have the opportunity to make
the decision for him self.  He knew Linda wasn't bad or trashy.  Perhaps it
just bothered him that she was free to indulge in a habit that he was not
allowed to participate in.  It pissed him off that Linda and his mother were
such martyrs.  Smoking their heads off.  Do as I say not as I do.  Well fuck
them!  Fuck them all!

Linda lit a cigarette.  She was trying to tone down her smoking in Dr.
Freeman's office and it was making her nauseous.  Dr. Freeman noted her
discomfort and asked how she felt about smoking in public and around her
family and friends.

"I hate it," said Linda through a cloud of rich Pall Mall smoke.  "I can't
quit thinking that I'm doing something wrong.  I feel terrible about it.  I
feel guilty that Peter has to live with me like this.  Its not fair to him."

"Fairness is not the issue," said Dr. Freeman.  "This isn't your fault.
Please remember that.  You didn't ask to be a smoker and you certainly didn't
ask to smoke ten packs a day.  You can't change what happened.  I talked to
Dr. Snider.  He assured me that you're hopelessly addicted.  This is a Catch
22.  You can't live with the Pall Malls and you can't live without them.  Dr.
Blacklung robbed you of your health.  Don't let him steal your happiness
too."

Linda took solace in the doctor's words.  It made her feel better to know she
didn't have a choice.

Dr. Freeman continued her lecture.  "You can't keep feeling guilty about this
Linda.  You have to accept the fact that you're a smoker now."  She turned to
Peter.  "You have to accept it too Peter."  She turned her attention back to
Linda who was double pumping her Pall Mall.  "When you accept your self as a
smoker then others will accept you too.  How do your parent's feel about you
now that you're smoking?"

Linda tapped an ash. "I think they're just glad I'm alive.  I know my dad has
a problem with my smoking.  My mom told me that.  But he hasn't said any
thing nasty to me about it.  They know it's not my fault.  And it keeps
getting better.  They don't stare at me anymore."

"That's exactly right," said Dr. Freeman.  "Your parents are getting used to
it and you and Peter need to get used to it.  Now that we've got that behind
us, I think we need to discuss your sex life.  Have you two had relations
since the kidnapping."

Neither Peter nor Linda answered the question.  Dr. Freeman shrugged.  "If
you want your marriage to survive, you're going to have to start having sex
again with each other.  I can't stress how important sex is to the survival
of a marriage."

"I don't think Linda can go without smoking long enough to have sex," said
Peter.

"She probably can't," said Dr. Freeman.  "That's why you should make love to
Linda to while she smokes."

"What" asked Linda?

"You heard me," said Dr. Freeman.  "There's nothing wrong with integrating
smoking with lovemaking.  This isn't the first time I've suggested it.  I
have many clients that come to me with sex problems.  If one of them smokes,
I suggest they incorporate it into their lovemaking.  The results have been
remarkable.  I work with several female patients who never achieved an orgasm
until they started smoking during sex.  I can't explain it but it seems to
work.  Are you achieving orgasms Linda?"

Linda was embarrassed by the question.  She stubbed out her cigarette butt
and nervously and lit another to avoid the answer.  Dr. Freeman repeated the
question.

"No," said Linda.  "I've always faked it."

The hurt look in Peter's eyes made her wish that she had lied.

Previous part | Next part