st. helen's mental asylymn

a four storied building

in a circle
surrounded by smaller buildings
delegate's apartments they called them

st helen's
named for a saint i supposed

or maybe helen of troy
no, she wouldn't have a mental
institution named after her

what was i doing putting molly in a place like this

i had thought of what the doctor said
for her own good
she'll get the proper help
her condition is way beyond my expertise

at last i had relented and they had taken molly
by ambulance one sunny morning
when the wind was blowing and
the smell of lilacs were drifting in the air

i walked down the long corridor of st. helen's
and look for the words administrator on the door
it was 11 o'clock and i was alread a half hour late
not my fault
the traffic was horrendous
getting out of town
and it just wasn't my fault

pete opened the door
and caught a nurse and doctor going at it

sorry, he muttered
and quickly closed the door
what kind of place was this
where was molly
he made a mistake
this wasn't happening
he'd have to get her out of here

breaking into his thought

a young woman tugged at his sleeve
Mr. Pete McNevins

Molly's husband

yes, said pete nervously

right this way sir
they are waiting for you

thank you
thank you, said pete and
followed the young girl in the white dress
down the hall.

they stood up when he came in and introduced themselves
dr. rayson, psychologist.
ms. morrison, social worker
dr. morrison, clinical psychopharmacologist

and a gentlemen in a brown suit
who just said his name was Matthew
and he was just there to observe

all right said pete
nice to meet you all

now, what about molly

first one
then the second
and then the third one spoke

molly was catatonic
they were working on a protocol
it would be a while before she got out.

how long
a month

there was dead silence
two months


finally
matthew the quiet one spoke
the one who was an observer
Mr. McNevins, I am afraid you don't understand
your wife will be here for a while and there is no
guarantees that she will get better

that hit him in the pit of his stomach
suddently pete felt sick
he was going to throw up
he got up
reached the doorhandle
when the young girl who had shown him the room
Mr. McNevins, would you like some air.

yes, please
i appreciate that.

come with me
and i'll show you our gardens
they are quite nice this time of year

excuse me, siad pete to the doctors in the room

no problem, Mr. McNevins, get some air
and we'll talk again before you leave.

yes, pete muttered, we'll talk again before I leave.