Adele -- Week Two

Paul leaves the latest in a string of messages for Gina, expressing his surprise at some of the "interesting character choices in her novel." He returns to Adele for another session to discuss the recent development of Max moving in and how he will eventually tell his son about having Parkinson's. Paul concedes that in their previous session Adele was right about a few things, including Gina's unprofessional conduct. He's convinced that he is the inspiration for the deeply flawed protagonist -- the demon spawn of Bartleby and Shylock -- of Gina's novel. Adele returns to the topic of Parkinson's and Paul reveals that his doctor said he was not exhibiting enough symptoms for a positive diagnosis, though he is seeking a second opinion. Adele was also right, Paul says, about the content of his dream involving a feeling of paralysis. In the dream, Paul is running along a fence in an open field feeling a sense of possibility when his progress is slowed. Then, he turns back and sees his father coming towards him. Paul is sure that the dream is about Parkinson's and the fate his father's DNA has cast for him. When Adele suggests that having Parkinson's might be a fantasy for Paul, he grows increasingly agitated, questioning her life experience. "Why on earth would I find that comforting?" he asks. Adele counters that despite the opinion of experts, Paul still carries on with the notion that he has the disease. After Paul's anger subsides, he quizzes Adele to see if she understood the reference he had made earlier to Melville's "Bartleby." She passes.