How To Catch A Mouse
Casey Darden, M. D., sex therapist was having trouble finding the rendezvous with his next appointment. It was in a distant corner of Lynn, down the shore in a part of town that had a pretty crummy reputation. It was also at 2 AM. It was the client's sister who had set up the appointment. OK, she wanted to be discreet. But this was downright
clandestine.
And wouldn't most places be closing up about now?
Finally, he caught a glimpse of a glow down among the boats in an old boatyard and parked next to them, wandering past old anchors and derricks to an odd-shaped shack with a single blinking blue Pabst sign in the small window.
He expected a rowdy bunch when he pushed in through the peeling red door. But when his eyes got used to the gloom he saw that almost no one was there. A small foursome of geezers in a corner playing poker. A hippie-looking dude at the bar nursing a beer. Where was his client? From her sister's description she wasn't even the kind of person who went to bars.
He asked the bartender, a guy who looked too young and healthy to be working there. But then he noticed the name on his shirt was the same as the place, Mack, as in Mack's Grotto.
"Excuse me, Mack, I was supposed to meet my date here and I am unforgivably late because my GPS puts the Grotto in the middle of the Atlantic. Has a lady been here who got disgusted and stormed out?"
The bartender/owner shook his head.
"Only one gal been in here all night and that's the one in the corner."
He pointed with the glass he was polishing. Casey could see no one on the dark red vinyl banquette. And then the dim light glinted off something.
"Must be her." He shrugged and walked carefully in that direction.
Only when he was a few feet away did he notice a very small person wedged in the corner, arms clamped across her chest; straight drab mouse-brown hair. He couldn't describe what she was wearing.
Cautiously, he approached the booth.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Darden, Casey, Call me Casey. Are you Winnifred?"
He saw her nod imperceptibly.
"May I join you?"
She barely nodded again, wincing.
"Your sister suggested we talk."
Another nod.
"So. She thought it might be a good Idea if I ... worked with you to overcome your shyness and get a little easier with meeting people. You are here, so I guess you are willing to think about the idea. Yes?"
A shrug.
"Or not?"
She twisted her hands together and bit her lower lip.
Casey signaled Mack for a drink. Ordinarily he would have shouted it across the room, but he was wary that Winnifred might bolt.
"I'm going to have a glass of red wine. I'd like it very much if you would join me."
Winnifred made a face.
"Look, it's okay if you never touch a drop. I promise that I have never pushed a woman, or anyone to drink alcohol if they didn't want to. Or are you a "friend of Bill"? I wouldn't think of pushing you to go off the wagon."
A whisper. "S'okay."
"Two merlot's then, Mack."
Casey realized this could be a difficult case. One false move and this client would flutter away.
"So, Winnifred, or do most people call you Winnie, or something else?"
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head firmly.
"Okay, Winnifred, it's late and if you like we can sip our wine, just get to know each other a bit and then meet at some time that is more convenient. Would you like that?"
She shook her head firmly and whispered something.
"Excuse me?" Casey leaned it.
A murmur. "I like the night."
"Okay. I do too, sometimes, and you are the boss in this."
Casey noticed a tiny smile that evaporated quickly.
"No, really. I can suggest things, but you know you best. I'm just here really to help you know, maybe understand, what you like. I can also go away when you are uncomfortable."
Another shake of the head and what almost was a gesture to touch his hand and keep him there.
"I'll stay for now, and here are our drinks. Thanks, Mack. So, how about a toast? 'To Winnifred and whatever adventure she chooses to pursue.'"
"To Winnifred."
Winnifred lifted her glass and mouthed the toast to herself without a sound. Casey noticed that she did not handle the glass like it was poison, or even something alien. She took a sip and set it down, nodding her head.
Casey smiled. "Not too horrible for whatever we could get in this place at two-thirty in the morning. But now I have a suggestion. You are free to shoot it down out of hand. I noticed coming in that there is a nice breeze off the ocean, and it is kind of stuffy in here. There's an old bench overlooking the harbor, and I love the sound of seagulls. If you feel you can trust me, and not otherwise, I suggest we finish our drinks on that bench. Mack can see us from the doorway if you are at all nervous. What do you think?"
Winnifred bit her lip again, but then she nodded.
As they left the bar Casey got the first good look at his new client. She was petite and moved with her shoulders slumped and her head forward, so her roughly cropped hair hung around her face. She walked as though being led to execution, no bounce in her step at all. Meekly she accompanied Casey to the battered bench overlooking the Rumney Marshes. A few lights gleamed in the distance. It wasn't romantic, but at that hour of the morning it was peaceful, if a little damp.
They sat down and Winnifred took one end of the bench, her wine glass held under her chin where she took little sips and stared out at the harbor. Casey didn't try to make conversation. He decided his best approach was to be a bit clinical.
"So, Winnifred, I would like to help you, that is, if you feel you need help. Your sister believes you might benefit from learning to feel better about yourself. But you are not a baby. You have been on this planet about thirty years, right?"
She gave a tiny nod.
"So you have made your choices. I understand you like to live alone; you like to live in this, pardon me, kind of industrial, run-down part of town. Aside from tonight you don't inhabit bars or clubs. You aren't looking for a romantic relationship. You work from home, writing. Your sister says you write advertising copy, good copy, for her company, for products you would never buy. Does that pretty much get it?"
Winnifred nodded and pressed her lips.
