Chapter 7

“Get real. They keep notes, and notes go into files. If it’s written down in a file somewhere, it can be accessed.”

“I hadn’t thought about it that way,” I said.

“Anyway, they released me after I promised to be a good boy and agreed to go back to the shrinks once a year for an ‘evaluation’. They even told me that if, after a few years, I decide that I simply can’t deal with the problem, I might qualify for castration.”

“Jesus!” I said. “Why that?”

“Because when you lose your balls, you’re supposed to pretty much lose your sex drive, and it’s said to make life easier. That’s a laugh—how could that work, unless they wiped your brain clean of all memories of ever having had sex.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Well, you did ask.”

“Yes, I did, and thanks for sharing a small part of your pain—it helps me to know you better.”