(This story is by no means an indictment against the country of Jamaica and its beautiful people.)
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The Ashlandview Psychiatric Center
December 1976
"Isaac, do you plan on standing at that window all day long, or would you rather have a seat and have a civilized discussion?" Doctor Sanyupta, who was dressed perfectly in a brown suit, patiently implored seated behind his desk inside his warm and cozy office.
With his arms folded in an irate manner inside his brown Izod sweater, Isaac remained obstinately at the window that overlooked a cold, frosty and cloudy morning.
He pulled at the crotch of his faded blue jeans that managed to itch with every restless move that he made.
"Man, I ain't sayin' anything until I see a lawyer or somebody." The young, bitter man mumbled against the sore jaw that he was nursing while leaning against the frigid window.
"My friend, this is not prison. We are here to help you."
Yanking himself away from the window, Isaac turned to Sanyupta and pointed, "Man, you ain't my friend! And the only help I need can't be found here!"
"I take it you are referring to your so called disease?"
"Hell yes that's what I'm taking about!" Isaac snapped back. "My dad sent me here for some bullshit reasons! Motherfucker!" He tossed his arms in the air. "I'm not crazy; I know what happened to me last month! It was that bitch that did this to me!" He pointed at his auburn eyes. "And I'm warning you, it can happen again, in this place!"
Doctor Sanyupta sat back in his leather swivel chair and studied Isaac very precisely before saying, "Isaac, allow me to ask the question. Was it you that murdered those men last month?"
For a second, Isaac caught himself before he stood absolutely still in the middle of the floor "Man...I don't know for sure." His voice faltered. "It just happened, and then I just blacked out." Isaac then happened to glance at the door and the mistletoe that was dangling from above.
"Isaac, I see you as a rational human being; someone who is not taken easily to being overrun with delusions of shape-shifting."
"But it's not a delusion!" Isaac pleaded with outstretched arms. "I know what happened that night! Look at my eyes, man! How did they go from black one day to this the next?"
"There could be a reasonable explanation."
"Like what? Someone broke into my room and slipped a couple of contacts into my eyes? That's bullshit!"
"Isaac, your father believed this facility to be the one place in the world that could help you—
"My father," Isaac twisted his lips. "That overgrown nigga hit me because he said I tried to hit him. Man, the next time I see his ass I'm gonna take a baseball bat and crack him so hard in the face he won't know what hit his black ass!"
"But he is your father." Sanyupta sounded amazed.
"I don't care if he's my mother; no one hits me and gets away with it! That's why he sent me here, because he knew I would get his ass back for that!"
Isaac was sweating while pacing across the floor in an agitated, cagey manner, as though he could feel someone watching him all around.
Meanwhile, Sanyupta, who was still seated quite securely in his chair, kept his eyes stationed only upon Isaac while quietly tapping his fingers on his desk.
something, wasn't Lynn involved in your being
stopped just short of a bookshelf with his back turned to Sanyupta. The look he had on his face at that moment
"Oh...that bitch." He
refer to the mother of your son in such a manner as
"Because, man, she lied and
reason at that second. Like the words that he wanted to say were slipping out of his hands and onto the
"What seems to be the problem,
stood in the middle of the floor for a few
young man." Sanyupta patiently reiterated. "Why did you suddenly stop
"Because...I don't know for sure," Isaac
Sanyupta reached for the pen and pad that were both placed just an inch away from him on his
mean to call her that." Isaac turned around
"But there was some kind of emotion that brought such a hateful word out all of
Isaac folded his arms and dropped his head. Every time he tried to turn
"What do you believe caused you to
Isaac heaved the breath out of his lungs before he said,
before sitting forward and folding his hands. "How do
couldn't even look Sanyupta in the eye. He kept his face
"You heard me. I said she wasn't the
do
"Because...I
"That is not a good enough
of frustration, Isaac flung his head backwards and said, "There was this one cat that we both knew from high school. His name is William. I guess she was stuck on him at the same time
after
"My dad even told me that he wasn't mine to begin with. He said that God
"How do you and Lynn cope with all
said, "We cope by not
"That is far
want me to do?" He
"Where is
"He's standing right here!" Isaac
Sanyupta relented before saying, "Very well, young man. While I commend you on your commitment, that still does not give a
into his pockets. "Man, I don't know." He whined. "All
"Do
I love her." He callously shrugged. "But rather than try and help me, she just called my dad to come and take me away! She just stood by and watched as he hit me! No one will ever listen to me! They just yell at
I want an honest answer in return. Is there
a strong pause. The young man could have been knocked over so easily at that point. He was as stiff and solid as
do
Isaac blindly looked all over the office before his eyes connected with the floor all
"Why
this guy named Elmer Holcomb. They used to run moonshine together before they both
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