Out of Context

The Devil’s Dream
David Beers

“I’m ‘spensive in here, cost too much money, and I don’t think I’ll be cuttin’ anymore, so they’re shippin’ me on.”

Martin was a guide as much as Dr. Teasler. One showed her the path and the other showed her what the path looked like when you walked in it. Martin’s self-hate revolved around his childhood and sexuality. Linda’s self-hate revolved around her childhood and sexuality too. That’s what Dr. Teasler showed her. Garret wasn’t allowed to do what he did because Garret was that dominant, it was because Linda decided long ago that someone besides herself would control her life. Linda’s mother was a sweet, compassionate woman. Her father used his hands for discipline. Both tried to raise a daughter that was obedient and driven, but they created a woman who couldn’t say no, yet had the determination to continue with something until she died. Don’t speak up and don’t ask why. Just keep your head down and let the world turn around you, dear. That’s how good things come to people. If the meek were to inherit the Earth, as the Good Book said, then Linda’s parents prepared her to be the Queen of that Kingdom.

The cutting, that came from realizing what her marriage had been. Dear Mr. Dillan had been the one to show it to her, or at least make her aware of it. Her marriage was a sham at best, a tunnel of perversions for Garret to walk through, picking out one fantasy after another.