"No. She wasn't around enough to ask or care, and my daddy was on the road too much."
"And even if they were there more, would they know everything?" she asked, tilting her head a bit..
"No."
"Exactly."
Her small smile grew softer. Then she stopped smiling and sat firmly again.
"What do you think of Gia?" she asked in a sharper tone. "She troubles me. She's very smart. I know. but I'm afraid I'm not really making enough progress with her."
"I don't know." I didn't. I had no idea how to look for progress here or even what she meant by it.
"She's still very volatile," Dir. Foreman continued as if she and I were two psychiatrists conferring about one of our patients. "Without warning, she can become a very violent person. I bet you've sensed that, haven't you. Phoebe? You come from a world full of violence. It's not a stranger to you."
"No. It isn't."
She nodded, happy at my answers, I could see.
"Gia's parents are better off financially than yours were, but they were just as much into themselves. Besides. Gia has always been good at fooling people. lying. She's one of the best I've seen, actually. And very clever. She did something no one else I've treated for similar problems ever did."
"What?" I could see she wanted me to ask, and for some reason, that set off alarm bells inside me.
"She made up a person and blamed everything she could on her. She was so good about it that many people believed the person actually existed. At one point," she said, almost laughing. "the police were looking for Gia's imaginary person, sent out one of those all-points bulletins."
She paused and looked even more serious and concerned. "I have come to the conclusion she herself now believes this person exists. I'm working very hard at curing that, and I am going to need your help with it from time to time."
"Made up a person?"
"Yes," she said. smiling, "With amazing details. too. Clever in a way, isn't it? But she is very smart. our Gia. I know from our last talk here with everyone that Mindy has mentioned Gia's imaginary person to you and the others. and I'm sure Gia's spoken about her as well since. I just don't know how much she has said and if she continues to talk about her since the group therapy session."
"About who?" I asked, my heart now pounding and reverberating through my bones like the beat of a steel drum.
Dr. Foreman smiled. "You know. Phoebe, Posy,"
I tried to swallow, but a lump in my throat felt like a small rock. "Well?" she asked.
"Well, what?"
"Is she talking about her? What did she tell you about her?" she demanded.
I shook my head. "Nothing. I mean, nothing much."
She held me in her eyes so firmly, I thought I couldn't turn my head to the right or to the left. I couldn't even lower my gaze to the floor again,
"Haven't you heard anything I've said here today, Phoebe? Didn't you hear about all the responsibility and trust I have decided to place in you? Are you going to disappoint me now, now that I have determined you are worth all my effort and energy? Are you going to have me throw you back into the water as if you were some sick fish? Well?" she said, raising her voice and widening her eyes with fury
I was frightened. I was very frightened, but I was more terrified of telling her that Gia claimed Posy was her daughter, and not only that, that her daughter might be locked up in the basement right below us. What would she do to Gia and then to the others and what would they think of me?
In the back of my mind a little voice whispered, "What if Gia was the one telling the truth?"
I gathered all my ability to slip away, an ability I had employed many times before to escape from the chains and shackles adults in authority could throw over me. Too often in my life. I'd found myself having to avoid punishments and blame. The trick was never showing I was afraid and guilty. I would go on the offense and usually that worked.
But Dr. Foreman was the expert in all this. I had no doubt she had dealt with girls as good at it as I was, if not better. Still. I chose that route.
"I don't listen to their garbage talk." I said with as much anger as
I could muster. "Sure. I heard her mention someone named Posy, but it wasn't anything I cared to hear about. I have my own troubles."