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Ms. Bows:
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Hello Doctor.
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Dr. Balis:
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How are you Sylvia?
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Ms. Bows:
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Fine, thank you. Please sit down.
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Dr. Balis:
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So is there any news on the SII saga?
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Ms. Bows:
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Yes, I got some interesting information. Did I tell you that I was going to send Rene over to spy for me?
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Dr. Balis:
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You mentioned that you were planning it. Did she go yet?
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Ms. Bows:
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She went last Friday.
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Dr. Balis:
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How did it go?
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Ms. Bows:
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It was interesting. First of all, she saw Lloyd there.
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Dr. Balis:
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But you said that he was away at his private paradise or something.
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Ms. Bows:
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That's what they told me. Now I don't know if it just happened that he came back early or they were just trying to throw some smoke in my eyes. But in any event he hasn't returned any of my phone calls yet.
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Dr. Balis:
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I don't have much contact with Mr. Major. Is that normal for him?
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Ms. Bows:
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There is nothing normal about Lloyd.
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Dr. Balis:
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I meant is he usually prompt at returning his messages.
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Ms. Bows:
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I know what you meant, Doctor. But the answer to that question depends on who left the message. Before this, I've always been in the "get back to her quick" category. But I guess things changed.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Ms. Bows:
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Rene also visited my department. She knows a few people there and she stopped by to say hello. They told her that it's been very strange since I was gone. Everyone in the department has been interviewed and forced to answer questions about working conditions, fellow workers, and the relationship between management and the production teams. From what Rene was able to gather, the main purpose of these interviews was to gather information about me.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you sure?
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Ms. Bows:
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Rene talked to several people in my department and they all believed it. They said that most of the questions had my name in it. It sounds like Lloyd is doing a witch hunt and I'm the witch.
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Dr. Balis:
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I'm sorry Sylvia.
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Ms. Bows:
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Thank you Doctor. But I haven't even begun to fight. Lloyd is not being very smart, you know.
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Dr. Balis:
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Why?
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Ms. Bows:
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Do you know him Doctor?
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Dr. Balis:
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I've seen him a couple of times, even exchanged a few words, but that's it.
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Ms. Bows:
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Well what you don't know is that Lloyd is a very easy target. And one would think that he'd know better than to mess around with me.
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Dr. Balis:
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Perhaps you should wait to find out what he has in mind.
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Ms. Bows:
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I'm not planning on rushing into anything. You'll see. I'll play it just right. Rene saw the guy that Lloyd is thinking of replacing me with, uh, Niles something or other...
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Dr. Balis:
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Nils Landors.
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Ms. Bows:
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Thank you Doctor. For a moment his name just completely escaped me.
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Dr. Balis:
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Did Rene actually talk with him?
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Ms. Bows:
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No and yes. Everyone in my department knows Rene is my cousin. So Rene played it really straight--just stopping by to say hello, nothing more. Nils briefly came out of his...my office and said hello. He asked how I was feeling, the usual bullshit polite conversation.
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Dr. Balis:
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So what did Rene think of him?
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Ms. Bows:
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She said that he is clearly one of Lloyd's boys, if you know what I mean.
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Dr. Balis:
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You mean he's a company man?
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Ms. Bows:
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No, that's not it at all. Do you know about Lloyd's sexual preferences?
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Dr. Balis:
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Isn't Mr. Major married and has children?
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Ms. Bows:
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I think they have a very clear understanding--they stay out of each other's way and behave nicely for company and the press.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Ms. Bows:
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Mr. Nils Landors fits Lloyd's standard profile--he is in his late twenties. He has that pony tail hair thing going. He is into sports--rollerblading mostly. And Nils is very fond of the life of luxury--the style of the very rich.
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Dr. Balis:
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So you are implying that Lloyd and Nils are...
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Ms. Bows:
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I'm not implying Doctor, I'm saying it--Lloyd and Nils are lovers. It's not the first time that a young attractive cadet got promoted at SII in such a fashion. They tend not to stay long though.
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Dr. Balis:
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Is Lloyd's homosexuality common knowledge?
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Ms. Bows:
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Lloyd is firmly in the closet, if that's what you mean.
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Dr. Balis:
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But if he's sleeping with people in the company...
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Ms. Bows:
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I would be surprised if someone in SII's upper management didn't have direct knowledge or involvement with some of Mr. Major's affairs. But I don't think it is a common knowledge outside that ring. But there's certainly a few people who know about it. There's a young man who was interning in my department's secretarial pool who had an encounter with Mr. Major. He came to me hysterical one morning saying that his life was completely ruined.
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Dr. Balis:
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Did he tell you what happened?
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Ms. Bows:
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Oh, in detail. Lloyd did his usual seduction thing. He took Tony out to dinners and theater, in Europe of course--wouldn't want the local crowd to notice the relationship. Tony even got a tour of Lloyd's island paradise. Finally, completely overwhelmed by Lloyd's attentions, Tony declared his love. Apparently, it was Tony's first time--he was just seventeen. But Lloyd's fickle and has a very short attention span. After about a month, he moved on to his next victim.
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Dr. Balis:
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Do you think Tony talked about this with others in your office?
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Ms. Bows:
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No. It's not his way. He was terrified of Lloyd and kept on talking about being afraid of Lloyd's goons.
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Dr. Balis:
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Why did he talk to you?
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Ms. Bows:
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It just happened. He was working with me that morning and he was incredibly distracted. I called him on it a couple of times and then I noticed that he was crying. I took him into my office and we talked. I never told anyone about this until now.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you planning on using this information against Lloyd?
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Ms. Bows:
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Right now I don't know enough to plan anything effectively. But if that rollerblading snowboarding son of a bitch is really planning to do me in, I guess I would find something to do with this information. God, Tony was a minor for Christ's sake. And Lloyd is old enough to be Tony's grandfather! Do you know how Mr. Major made his fortune?
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Dr. Balis:
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No, I've never heard the story.
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Ms. Bows:
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Are you interested?
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Dr. Balis:
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Sure.
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Ms. Bows:
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Lloyd has a degree in chemistry or biochemistry, I don't exactly remember. After he graduated from college, he managed to get involved with a group of young chemists who came up with this new super weather-resistant material. Lloyd became a partner in the company that they started. The material they patented became indispensable in making high quality ski suits and other outdoor gear. In a couple of years, Lloyd was a millionaire. He had a good head for business and made several very good investments. And now he's got the private jet, and the yacht, and the private island, and the houses in London and Florence.
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Dr. Balis:
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What about SII?
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Ms. Bows:
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Lloyd likes high tech toys.
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Dr. Balis:
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I don't think I ever worked for a toy before.
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Ms. Bows:
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SII is a good company and it's responsible for many technological innovations in computing. But for Lloyd, it's just a way of being cool and technologically hip.
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Dr. Balis:
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I see.
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Ms. Bows:
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By the way, I also asked Rene to find Richard and give him a hello from me.
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Dr. Balis:
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And?
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Ms. Bows:
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Well, he was trying to get in touch with me for a long time. He said that he even talked with Tom.
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Dr. Balis:
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I thought Tom got a restraining order.
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Ms. Bows:
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He managed to get through and tell him about what was going on with Lloyd and Nils and my department. So I was right. Tom knew about what was going on at SII and tried to keep it away from me by censoring my e-mail, phone calls, and snail-mail. That explains why I didn't get a single message from Richard all this time.
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Dr. Balis:
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He was trying to warn you.
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Ms. Bows:
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Yes.
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Dr. Balis:
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And otherwise...how is Richard?
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Ms. Bows:
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Rene said that he was still incredibly attached to me although he understood my need to keep the emotional noise level down and will stay away until the babies are born. But Rene had to promise to keep him informed.
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Dr. Balis:
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Did Rene tell him about you and Tom?
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Ms. Bows:
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Rene is not thrilled about Tom and me trying to work things out. She hasn't been coming over as much as I would want her to--she is staying out of Tom's way. So I don't know what she told Richard about that.
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Dr. Balis:
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Does Rene disapprove of you and Tom?
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Ms. Bows:
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It's not as much as that. Rene thinks that what Tom did to me can never be forgiven or forgotton. But she also understands my need to try to make things okay again. She lost the man she loved very early in her life and she never managed to find anyone else to fill that void. She raised Robert alone and I don't think she wants me to share that fate. I used to be very much in love with Tom. Rene knows that.
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Dr. Balis:
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Are you still?
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Ms. Bows:
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It's different now. It's getting late Doctor and you should go.
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Dr. Balis:
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Wow. Okay, we'll take this up again next week, Sylvia. Take care.
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Ms. Bows:
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I will. Have a good week Doctor and thank you.
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Dr. Balis:
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Goodbye Sylvia.
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###
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Doctor Balis' Notes on this Session
Transcripts of Sylvia Bows' Therapy Sessions
