Triage

Where did August go?  And somebody owes me a May, June and July as well!

Good meeting with the Shah last night primarily due to a less than good talk with Scarlett earlier in the day.  I'd gone over to Fog Beach to drop some items off at Tara and to check in on Scarlett who, she said, wasn't feeling very good.  Typical complaints.  Not getting a lot of sleep, gastrointestinal issues, pain...the usual stuff.

So I get done doing what I'd gone over to do and she asks me to sit down and talk.  I already know where this is headed even if I don't know the specifics and particulars of the upcoming conversation.  But I sit down to play the game anyway.

She knew I had a Shah appointment later that evening and wanted to know what I was going to discuss with him.  Now, I have no need, desire or obligation to tell her this but rather than be rude, which would probably be justified, I just said I didn't know yet.  Which was a true statement.  She pressed on wanting to know if I was getting anything out of these sessions.  Uh, what do you mean I asked.  You know, are you "growing", gaining any "insight" things like that she asked.  I suppose I said.  But you know it's a lot like the stock market.  Some days it's up, other days it's down and sometimes it pretty much stays flat.

Scarlett told me that didn't really answer her question.  I think it did but oh well.  And she'd brought this up, I guess, to tell me that she was thinking of stopping her weekly visits with Irving.  Feels like she's stealing money from out joint "pot".  That's up to you is what I told her.  Well, there's nothing wrong with me she says.  I've had two psychologists tell me that I am perfectly normal.  I'm fine.  Okay, I said.  I have no idea if this is right or not but anymore I really don't care.  So I told her that that was her call and I thought that would be the end of the discussion.

I really have to stop thinking in these talks.  It just leads to disappointment on my end.  Scarlett wasn't quite done.  Brings up the house.  Memories.  I won't like living there.  When am I going to get my money?  Why do you have forensic accountants?  Are you going to get married again?

It wasn't quite the shotgun blast described but the subjects did tend to change and weave a lot.  Told her I thought I'd be just fine in the house, explained the work of the accountants.....again and told her when she finds a condo the money for a down payment will be there.

That left the getting married again question.  She has a tendency to ask questions that she simply has no business asking.  I just said that for the moment and the indefinite future that I will be single, thank you very much.  Well, she responded that she now sees herself getting married again (good) because she liked being married, paid attention to and being taken care of.

I know she needs attention and I also know she likes and wants to be taken care of.  I'm done passing judgement on that.  It is what it is so so be it.

What does any of that have to do with the Shah?

Glad you asked!

I told him that I had no intention of telling her anything about our meetings, none of her business anyway.  Also told him about my stock market analogy towards our sessions when he asked how I thought they were going.  I had to be honest and say that they haven't really gone as far as I would have hoped but I knew a lot of that was due to all the time I sucked up using him as my sounding board to rant and vent about whatever it was Scarlett had done the week prior to each meeting.  But that had to end.  Told him that I figured out the best way to deal with her was pretty much through my attorney which freed he and I up for more important things.

So where do we go from here I asked.  Now the real work and therapy starts I was told.  He gave the example of an emergency room visit where you first stop the bleeding, get the breathing under control, all the major stuff.  Once that's done then you start looking at how to make the patient stronger etc.

As we all learned from M*A*S*H - triage first.