"(Paul) You don't get it, do you?" "(Kate) He's sick, Paul." " (Paul) He can't miss school again." " What is the big deal?" "He's top of his class." " (Paul) He's not staying at home." " I swear, if you take him out... (Paul) You swear what?" "He's here." "Max, what are you doing?" "Thought you were watching TV." "103?" " You're not 103." " Your hands are cold." "So I suppose you wanna stay home today?" "We could rent a movie and watch it." "Max, I'd love to rent a video and watch it with you." "But I can't." "I've got no choice." "I've gotta go to work." "You've gotta go to school." "You never believe me!" "(Knock on window)" "(Knock on window)" " I couldn't open the door." " Oh, I'm sorry." "It gets, uh..." "It gets stuck." "Hi." "I'm Paul." "Sophie." "Nice to meet you." "Come on in." " Here?" " Yes." " Do you need any help with the..." " No." "It's OK." "Anna Colden recommended that I talk to you." "Anna Colden?" "She's my lawyer." "She heard about you from a friend of yours." "I mean, a friend of hers, not a friend of yours." "From a patient of yours who is a friend of hers." "Sorry." "Mm." "So, Anna Colden recommended you through a patient." " Do you know his name?" " I don't know." "So what did Anna recommend me for?" "After my accident..." "I told you on the phone about the accident?" "Yes." "They told me I need the opinion of a psychiatrist because the insurance company of the car that hit me has a problem with my injuries or... something like that." "So that's why I'm here." "I'm here for your professional opinion, not for... (Paul) Not for..." "Not for therapy?" "So, let's see if I'm, uh..." "if I'm getting this right." "Are you suing the insurance company of the person who hit you?" "No." "Their insurance company had me talk to a social worker." "And... she started asking me all sorts of annoying questions." "She was really annoying so I refused to talk to her." "She started talking to me like she knew me, so I refused to talk and that didn't go over so well, so my mother said it would be better if I came to talk to you." "Right." "So what happened at the accident that requires a psychiatric opinion?" "I really don't remember what happened." "I was on my bicycle and a car ran into me and I don't remember what happened next." "What did they tell you afterwards?" "That I flew my bike right into the street." "You're..." "You're laughing at that." "What that sounds like, flying straight into the street." "So you find that funny, yeah?" "Because it reminds me of something about two years ago." "A..." "A friend of mine, he took me out on this motorbike and he stopped to get something at a convenience store." "Anyway, I was really bored so I pretended that I knew how to drive it." "You put your hands on the handlebars and go like this." "Well, it was one of those monster bikes." "Just by turning the handle a little, it just flies." "So, suddenly, I'm like, zoom, and it takes off." "My head, it whips back like this and when I look down, I realise I'm riding into the street." "Totally crashed into a car." "Oh." "There was this old woman standing nearby and she saw all this." ""I saw her." "She did it on purpose." ""She tried to kill herself." "She tried to kill herself."" "That's what she was yelling?" " Yeah, she was like a crazy woman." " Oh." "Course, it couldn't have been that funny when it happened, I'm sure?" "No." "Not really." "I wanted to kill her." "I was just lying there." "I couldn't move." "I couldn't do anything." "I wanted to yell, "Shut up, you... you idiot." ""Why are you screaming?"" "You know?" "But I couldn't speak." "It's like this feeling... when somebody says something about you and you can't defend yourself." "It's totally unfair." "Like that social worker you were talking about." "What does she have to do with it?" "Well, didn't you feel that she was speaking for you?" "Yeah, but I could have said something." "I just didn't want to." "Hm." "So, tell me a little more about this, uh, this accident." "It's all in that report." "Where did it happen?" "In a gas station on Madison near the gym where I train." "So you were on the way to the gym?" "I don't know." "I told you I don't remember anything." "Do you feel comfortable talking about yourself, Sophie?" "No." "My name is Sophie." "I'm 16 years old." "I've been a gymnast since the age of six and a half." "I was US junior champion at the age of 12." "I'm an only child." "I don't know." "What do you wanna know?" "In another few months are the national trials." "Last chance to qualify for the Olympics." "I'm kind of like... an Olympic hopeful." "Wow." "That's really impressive." "Congratulations." " Thank you." " So how is life in general?" " What?" " Well, apart from the gymnastics." "How's life?" "It's great." "I just don't have the energy for This Is Your Life right now." "This Is Your Life?" "What do..." "What do you mean?" "You know, like the TV show." "You're way too young to know about that show." "It's on DVD." "My mom's friend watches it all the time." " What do you think of it?" " It's OK." "Some of the people on it are so old." "(Chuckles)" "Why do you think they put old people on that?" "I don't know." "Cos they have nothing better to do?" "They're retired and dying off fast so they put them on the show before it's too late." "Oh. (Clears throat)" "So do you think you can help me with this professional opinion or not?" " It's not that simple, Sophie." " Why not?" "Because it's not like an X-ray where you can take photographs, look at the results and then you go on your way." "It doesn't quite work like that." "OK." "OK, so I guess I'll leave." "Would you at least like to read what it says in the report?" " If you want me to." " Like you already know what it says?" "No." "I've no idea what it says." "Listen, I didn't come here to talk about myself." "I just need your opinion." "So you want me to give you my opinion based on what I read and the conversation that we've had today, is that it?" "Is that a problem?" "No." "No." "I'll write up an opinion and, um... when you come next week, you can decide whether you want to use it or not." "Just like that, without any more questions?" "Well, what kind of questions do you want me to ask?" "I don't know." "Shrink-like questions." "Say, about Mom, Dad, that kind of thing?" "Doesn't sound like you're interested." "Why would you say that, Sophie?" "I am very interested in everything that you have to say." "I mean that." "You spoke to my mother already, didn't you?" " I didn't." " You already know what it says in there." " I've never spoken to her." " You did and you're letting me sit here and you know exactly what's in that envelope." "Was I..." "Was I supposed to talk to her?" "What, did you, like, plan everything?" "Like I'm some kind of idiot, you planned some charade?" "What's the point?" "Whatever." "She would send me to someone like you." "I should have listened to my father." "He called them a cult of crazies." "Open the door for me, please." "And if I did speak to your mom?" " I knew it." " So what, then?" "It means you're a liar, OK?" "Cos I know how it's supposed to work." "You're supposed to read that report and ask the stupid shrink questions you ask." "Doesn't it seems unprofessional to so not do it that way?" "Maybe I have something to say about what it says in there." "I just wanted to read the report by myself before our meeting next week." "That's all." " What meeting next week?" " I'd like us to meet three or four times for me to form an opinion of you, to get to know you a little." "Don't you think?" "Otherwise... it wouldn't be professional." "Hm?" "I'll read it now." "OK?" "So are all these ships instead of sailing for real?" "Uh-huh." " At least you won't get seasick." " Oh..." " I don't know about that." " What do you mean?" "Sometimes I can get quite wobbly just sitting right here." "You have to make a round window to the outside." "Then you'll feel like you're in a real ship." "Did you really read all those books or is it just to make an impression?" "Uh-huh." "Yes, you read them or yes, you're trying to make an impression?" "Yes." "I've read them." "I feel sorry for the books up there." "Oh." "Why do you feel sorry for them?" " Where would you put them?" " I don't know." "They're your fucking books." "You suffer from asthma." " Yeah." "How do you know that?" " There's an inhaler here." "Oh, thanks." "I've been looking everywhere for that." "Thank you." "So what, you could have died without it?" "According to what it says here... it looks like you could have died too." "Yeah." "That would have solved a lot of problems." "What would it solve?" "Nothing." "I didn't mean anything by it." "Can I talk to you like a normal person?" "Do you drive your daughter crazy with questions like this too?" "Much more crazy, believe me." "How d'you know I had a daughter?" "Because you do." "You know my mother." "You were on the PTA committee at Arlington elementary." "I was there before I went off to a private school." "I was in the same year as your daughter." "Well, why didn't you tell me that before?" "Hm." "You said that the, uh... that the social worker spoke to you like she knew you." "She was such a retard." "Did she ask you if, um..." "if you think about death a lot?" "How did you know that?" "According to what it says here, she was trying to prove that the accident was your fault." "It's a good thing you didn't answer any of her questions." "By the way, everybody thinks about death." "I bet she didn't say that, though." "Did she ask you if you had any specific thoughts about death?" " No." " Do you?" "Do I what?" "Everyone... (Clears throat) Everyone thinks about death and, uh... imagines how it will come to them." "Do you have any more specific thoughts about it?" "I mean, maybe you have certain thoughts that you'd like to talk about." " Unless you're worried about what I..." " I'm not worried." "OK." "Is this how it's going to be for three appointments?" "Is this a little difficult for you?" "No." " Can I have some water?" " Sure." "Oh." "Hang on a minute." "Sorry about this." "It's for my little patients, the elves." "It's a bendy one." "You need help with that?" "Must be really hard to be, uh..." "be handicapped like that." "What's the hardest thing about it?" "Everyone treats me like a baby." "Hm." "Did you come here by yourself today?" " Yes." "By bus." " Your mom didn't offer to drive you?" "Yeah, right." "She knew there was no chance I'd say yes." "Before, when you got angry, when, uh... when you thought that she'd called me," "I asked myself, "Why didn't she call?"" "It makes sense that she would call me first." "I don't..." "What do you mean?" "I'm trying to figure out why you got so angry when you thought..." " I don't get it." "She did call?" " No, no." " Did she call or not?" "Tell me already." " No, she didn't call." "So why are we back to this again?" "Because I got the feeling that when you got angry, you wanted your mother to call, just so that you could get angry with her." "You have no idea what I'm looking for." " You just don't get it." " OK." "So... why don't you explain it to me, then?" "She thinks that what's written there is true." "What's true?" "Whatever it says." ""Suicidal tendencies", blah, blah, blah." "That's what your mother says is true?" "She thinks that this accident is an opportunity to get rid of the sports thing." "That's what she calls it." "But what does that have to do with this report?" "She's afraid." "She doesn't believe that..." "She thinks that, because of all this competition and perfectionism, she thinks that I wanted to kill myself." "And that's bullshit." "It's been like this for years." "I've been under pressure for years and she has never supported me." "All the other mothers are right there, all over us, visiting the gym, the training camps, all of it." "And the only thing she has to say is, "What do you need this for?"" "It's obvious she doesn't understand anything." "All this pressure, it doesn't make any difference." "It's so silly." "Why would I hurt myself now, just before the nationals when I have all the..." "And if I fail the lawsuit, I really have no chance." "What do you mean, fail?" "Do you see this as a kind of test?" "Tell me, why do you..." "Why are you making it sound like it's..." " What?" " I didn't come here for therapy." "I just need you to write your opinion and tell me that I'm perfectly all right and tell them that I'm not some crazy who flies into cars every day." "Is that why you came here today, Sophie?" "For me to tell you that you're all right, that you're not crazy?" "Is that the test you're afraid of failing?" "I have to go." "It's ten to already." "You probably have to turn on your cellphone now." "Why?" "Are you worried that I won't be available?" "No." "Are you this much of a pain in the ass with your daughter?" "Much, much worse, believe me." "And yes, I do try to understand my daughter, if that's what you're asking." "That's not what I'm asking." "Let's say she wants to talk to you now." "What will she do?" "I don't think she'll wait till ten to so she can talk to you." "Who do you call, Sophie?" "Now you don't feel comfortable talking about your daughter." "She calls me at ten minutes before the hour, she leaves a message and I get back to her." "But who do you call?" " Who do I call for what?" " When you need to talk to someone." "Four, one, one." " Four, one, one?" " Yeah." "He's my father." "He's moved so many times in the past few years," "I can never remember his latest phone number." "It's like a family joke." "We call four, one, one." "How do you get on with your dad?" "He's always there for me." "What do you mean, he's always there for you?" "He's there." "He knows what's happening to me." "When I had the accident, he called me when I was in the ambulance." "He knew something had happened." "That's what they told me." "Oh." "So is it like you guys have a kind of telepathy together?" "He's the only person in this world who truly loves me and the only one that believes that the accident was not my fault." " The only one except Cy." " Who's Cy?" "This is Cy." "Cy is a mermaid?" "No, Cy drew it." "He's my coach." "Dana coloured it, that's his daughter." "I used to be her baby-sitter." "Do I have to go now?" "Yes." "So you baby-sit for your coach?" "Yeah, since before I joined his gym." "Oh." "So Cy is the only one, apart from your dad, who loves you?" "Or he's the only one who thinks that you didn't crash your bike on purpose?" "I don't know." "Is that important for your professional opinion?" "OK. (Clears throat)" "I'll tell you what I want us to do." "I would like, before our next meeting, for us to do some homework." "We both write up our opinion of what's in that report." " What do you say?" " How am I supposed to write like this?" "Well, you can get somebody to help you." "You can do it on tape, if you like." "What am I supposed to write?" "Your own opinion, your own assessment of what's in there." "What do you say?" "I don't think so." "I think you can do it." "This way." "So, will you try?" "We'll see." "English SDH"