The Institution

by Kristen Rose



  The Institution

  By Kristen Rose

  Copyright 2013 Kristen Rose, revised edition

  *****

  Prologue

  ‘Retiring! What do you mean you’re retiring?’ I sat up in my seat, glaring at him.

  ‘Jennifer, I’m sixty-two next month. I’ve been working here for twenty-three years. It’s time for me to sit back and relax, enjoy life a bit. I think I’ve earned it.’ Huey spluttered, leaning back into his aged, grey leather recliner.

  ‘Enjoy life? What do you think weekends and public holidays are for? And why do you get to go and enjoy life while I have to be stuck in this stupid place surrounded by nut cases?’ I leaned closer towards the coffee table dividing us. There was a Rubik’s Cube in the centre of the rustic table, a pile of assorted magazines and some Sudoku puzzle books. I reached towards the table and collected the Rubik’s Cube.

  ‘Jennifer, I think you and I both know you can leave here whenever you want.’ He sung, tilting his head and puckering his bushy moustache. I leaned back into my chair, concentrating on the Rubik’s Cube, saying nothing.

  ‘I’m sure my replacement will be just as good, maybe even better.’ He intertwined his fingers, smiling lightly.

  ‘Huh!’ I laughed. ‘You’re terrible. A dog would be just as good as you, maybe even better.’ I said to the Rubik’s Cube, twisting it around and successfully getting all of the red cubes onto the one side. Huey sighed.

  ‘So,’ he began after a short silence, ‘would you like to talk about something today?’

  ‘Nope.’ I said to a yellow coloured square. Huey sighed again, leaned towards the table and picked up a fishing magazine. He began flipping through its pages as though he had flipped through them hundreds of times; barely looking at each page before flicking to the next.

  ‘So,’ I said, breaking the silence half an hour later, upon my completion of the Rubik’s Cube, ‘when are you retiring? The end of the year?’ I tossed the cube towards the table. It bounced off the corner, landing on the floor a metre away. I ignored it and stared up at Huey, who had replaced his fishing magazine with a gossip one while I had been fiddling with the Rubik’s cube.

  ‘Uh, well no, not exactly.’ He looked up at me, his face redder than usual. ‘Actually Jennifer, today is my last day.’

  ‘What! What do you mean today is your last day?’ I paused. ‘You can’t just spring that on me like this! I could have a break down. No, even better, I could sue you’ I thundered out of my seat and started to pace around the room, sporadically glaring at Huey.

  ‘Well, I just ... I didn’t ... I thought this would be better ... easier.’

  ‘Easier? Oh sure, easy for you! You tell me, right before our session is about to end, that you are leaving. I don’t get to have any time to prepare for a new psychologist or get used to the idea?’ I walked up to him, he cowered back into his chair; matted bits of stuffing began to bulge out of the top cushion. ‘I’m your patient, I’m important!’ I pointed to my chest. ‘My thoughts should be taken into account. What do you think I’m paying you idiots for?’

  ‘Calm down Jennifer.’ Huey raised his pudgy hands, shaking. ‘I knew you would take this badly, I guess I just ... put off telling you.’

  I bent down so we were eye to eye. ‘Big mistake Huey.’ He gulped loudly. I turned and went back to my seat.

  ‘So, what will you be doing while I’m stuck in here?’ I asked, crossing my legs. Huey pulled a ragged blue hanky out of his pant pocket and wiped a few beads of sweat off his forehead before answering me.

  ‘Well, my wife and I were thinking of going on a ... ah ... cruise, around the Caribbean.’ He coughed deeply a few times and began to wheeze heavily. His face reddened even more. He returned his hanky towards his face and began dabbing it all over, finishing with one huge wipe over his greying moustache.

  ‘Huh! Typical.’ I folded my arms and looked out the window, frowning.

  ‘Well, that is if we can afford it.’ He muttered.

  ‘Afford it? I’m paying you very well to sit here and watch me play with Rubik's cubes all day, what the hell have you been doing with your money?’

  ‘Well ... my wife is ... ah ... often partial to designer brands and expensive lunches it seems.’ He spat.

  ‘So? Whip her into shape. Tell the woman not to spend your money, that’s what I tell all my men.’

  He snorted, shifting in his chair. ‘You don’t know my wife.’ A pained expression appeared on his face. ‘She’s scary’. He whispered.

  ‘Scary? Gee, you’re a bigger wimp than I thought.’ I laughed thumping backwards into the couch. A huge gust of air burst out of its cushions. I folded my arms and stared up at the ceiling. There was silence for another minute until Huey began to speak again, changing the subject.

  ‘You know, in a strange way, I’ll miss you Jenny.’ I turned away from the ceiling and stared at him.

  ‘Well, duh.’ I replied. ‘Of course you will. I’m quite an amazing person. I’m glad there is at least someone here smart enough to see that.’

  He chuckled to himself, before glancing at the clock above the couch. ‘But, it looks as though it’s time for you to head back up to your room Jenny.’ He sighed.

  ‘Thank god!’ I flung myself up off of the couch. ‘You’re starting to smell, I thought the time to leave would never come.’ I finished, strutting towards the door.

  ‘Goodbye Jenny.’ Huey called towards me in a gruff whisper.

  ‘Huh. Oh, yeah ... bye.’ I half raised my hand behind me without looking back at him and continued to strut my way out of his office.