thing she was screaming about.
A few of the men from Harris’ family also went behind the police in their cars . Harris had the patience of St. Olaf. His own mother had different fits and spells, so Harris handled Susan like a pro. He also had some kind of way of second-guessing when she was about to pull something in public, because he had taught her some code words to help her let him know when the agitation was getting too strong.
Susan’s mother remembered when the doctors were all testing her . The problem was that she could make straight “As” in school and she was a cute, good looking girl. It fooled everyone at the school and she really didn’t get into that much trouble. They all would just call her aunt just in the nick of time, and one of us would take a little bit of time off of work to come pick her up. Susan liked to say that she just had a bad case of the nerves. In reality, Susan was more like a beautifully painted time bomb disguised as a harmless knick-knack. Wond too tight, Susan would blow and cause collateral damage when she did. Scratching at her neck was simply a reflection of the loud ticking inside getting tighter as the moments moved on.
People who are being manipulated or controlled by subtle cues often respond in heightened anxiety and an overwhelming sense of dread . This described Susan perfectly. Although she appeared to go happily through life, she always seemed distracted by some unknown force. Nina tried to keep things calm around Susan, to keep her day on an even, predictable path, but it was not always easy. And how many times had Susan wondered about Harris’s strange sixth sense to always show up at the right place at the right time, when Susan was just about to get herself into a mess she could not easily escape?
W hen Susan finally joined the volleyball team, everything seemed to be clicking into place. She could just focus like there was no tomorrow and it gave her a place to work out her agitation and aggression. We all cried tears of joy when she held that trophy over her head. Without volleyball, she just had a hard time adjusting. The coach said that Susan had a knack for instinctively knowing the plays on the floor, but the truth was that Susan felt safe when there were rules. By learning the rules of the game, and quickly learning the different plays, she felt more in control. The worst case scenario for Susan was to be in a free-flowing situation that had no known goal or destination. Susan required order in her life to remain safe. Harris provided that order even if he did not evoke feelings of love. He provided Susan with direction and made plans to include her in his life. No one seemed to notice that he was exerting complete control of her life before they even finished high school. No one could see exactly how deeply she was being controlled.
“ And that Bob,” exclaimed Susan’s mother in her mother-of-the-bride suit.
“Why , I’m a mother and that Harris--he’s a nice boy.
“ Harris just has more experience in dealing with this kind of thing,” Susan’s Mom hushed her voice, “like with Harris’s poor mother--people who are in our place here in Alexandria sometimes get over their head with worry. Harris’s mom sometimes breaks down too, so Harris is used to dealing with girls like Susan.” Her mother smiled with prid. “They will be the perfect couple, just wait and see.”
Susan shook her head in disgust and rolled her eyes . How many times had she heard this conversation? It always started in the same way. “Now, I’m not faulting sweet Bob. He has the patience of some other saint, but with Bill’s Chevrolet just down the road, we just needed someone like Harris to be able to negotiate the finer things of life around Alexandria without everyone always gawking at our business. I just wish Susan would use our name instead of trying to be so independent and using Lars’ middle
A few of the men from Harris’ family also went behind the police in their cars . Harris had the patience of St. Olaf. His own mother had different fits and spells, so Harris handled Susan like a pro. He also had some kind of way of second-guessing when she was about to pull something in public, because he had taught her some code words to help her let him know when the agitation was getting too strong.
Susan’s mother remembered when the doctors were all testing her . The problem was that she could make straight “As” in school and she was a cute, good looking girl. It fooled everyone at the school and she really didn’t get into that much trouble. They all would just call her aunt just in the nick of time, and one of us would take a little bit of time off of work to come pick her up. Susan liked to say that she just had a bad case of the nerves. In reality, Susan was more like a beautifully painted time bomb disguised as a harmless knick-knack. Wond too tight, Susan would blow and cause collateral damage when she did. Scratching at her neck was simply a reflection of the loud ticking inside getting tighter as the moments moved on.
People who are being manipulated or controlled by subtle cues often respond in heightened anxiety and an overwhelming sense of dread . This described Susan perfectly. Although she appeared to go happily through life, she always seemed distracted by some unknown force. Nina tried to keep things calm around Susan, to keep her day on an even, predictable path, but it was not always easy. And how many times had Susan wondered about Harris’s strange sixth sense to always show up at the right place at the right time, when Susan was just about to get herself into a mess she could not easily escape?
W hen Susan finally joined the volleyball team, everything seemed to be clicking into place. She could just focus like there was no tomorrow and it gave her a place to work out her agitation and aggression. We all cried tears of joy when she held that trophy over her head. Without volleyball, she just had a hard time adjusting. The coach said that Susan had a knack for instinctively knowing the plays on the floor, but the truth was that Susan felt safe when there were rules. By learning the rules of the game, and quickly learning the different plays, she felt more in control. The worst case scenario for Susan was to be in a free-flowing situation that had no known goal or destination. Susan required order in her life to remain safe. Harris provided that order even if he did not evoke feelings of love. He provided Susan with direction and made plans to include her in his life. No one seemed to notice that he was exerting complete control of her life before they even finished high school. No one could see exactly how deeply she was being controlled.
“ And that Bob,” exclaimed Susan’s mother in her mother-of-the-bride suit.
“Why , I’m a mother and that Harris--he’s a nice boy.
“ Harris just has more experience in dealing with this kind of thing,” Susan’s Mom hushed her voice, “like with Harris’s poor mother--people who are in our place here in Alexandria sometimes get over their head with worry. Harris’s mom sometimes breaks down too, so Harris is used to dealing with girls like Susan.” Her mother smiled with prid. “They will be the perfect couple, just wait and see.”
Susan shook her head in disgust and rolled her eyes . How many times had she heard this conversation? It always started in the same way. “Now, I’m not faulting sweet Bob. He has the patience of some other saint, but with Bill’s Chevrolet just down the road, we just needed someone like Harris to be able to negotiate the finer things of life around Alexandria without everyone always gawking at our business. I just wish Susan would use our name instead of trying to be so independent and using Lars’ middle
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