Free CoverBoys & Curses by Lala Corriere Page A

walls were solid and lined
with modern art. He corrected me. The paintings were the creations of his
younger patients, although he never once used the word patient . He referred to the artists as clients, community members,
and even friends.
    On the
interior sides, solid banks of windows and glass doors overlooked a triangular
shaped courtyard. The mere size of the garden setting surprised me, especially
for a plot of land in Hollywood Hills.
    The core
of the triangular grounds contained several stone tables with circular seating,
a massive barbecue pit, three Jacuzzis, and a sprinkling of colorful children’s
play equipment at one end. The play area Carly had already mentioned.
    I stood
in the main building that formed the office side of the triangle. Small hacienda-style
homes flanked the other two sides of the lawns and gardens. Structured from
both stone and stucco and quite similar in design, Dr. Coal explained
individuality was for the heart. All were privately owned. One lucky and proud
new owner was Carly Posh.
    At the far
point of the triangle, directly across from the therapy complex, another
structure loomed. Erected of the same stone and stucco, it was the only two
story building and much larger than the surrounding homes.
    “That’s
my private residence,” he said, as if reading my mind. “Truth is I occupy small
living quarters in the front of the building.”
    “And the
rest?” Immediately my face flushed, ashamed I’d been too nosey.
    “The
remainder of the building is my private library. It’s our central nervous system.
Without it, The Centre wouldn’t exist.”
    He left
it at that, and I didn’t dare ask him anymore about it, but I did ask him about
the lack of doors and locks.
    “There
are doors on the homes, mainly to keep out the elements, but we don’t have
locks.”
    “Why?”
    “Privacy
and respect go hand in hand. We don’t need locked doors. Not unless you go and
give some of your burglar friends this information.”
    “Sorry. I
just have a curious nature. And I like to know how things work, and why.”
    We
circled our way back to the offices. Coal jumped in front of me and said, “Let
me get that for you.” He then pretended to open an imaginary door for me.
    “All of
us are here to become better persons, myself included. If that’s the intended
personal goal, then it translates to a group goal. We don’t have fear. We don’t
have secrets.”
    My mind
raced, maybe with my own old fears. “What about doctor-patient
confidentiality?”
    “I can’t
say that I’ve ever treated anyone that’s committed a heinous ax-murder, Ms.
Visconti.”
    He’d
called me Lauren earlier. Had I insulted him?
    He
continued, “It goes back to our idea of family and community, even if you don’t
live here on the grounds, and as you can see only a couple dozen or so people
are lucky enough to do so. We all trust one another. And the path.”
    “The
path?” I’d asked to quickly. The pitch of my voice rose too high. Vulnerable, and he knows it.
    “The
reason you’re here.” His voice remained calm. Paced. Secure.
    I didn’t
know that much about his therapy or his path, only that everybody else seemed
to think I needed it. He didn’t look like the Beverly Hills shrink I’d
envisioned, but he didn’t look like a wild Charlie Manson type, either. Then
again, Manson wasn’t too weird for the California sixties. And Ted Bundy was a
hunk in the eighties. My mind froze while my stomach became a butterfly on
speed.
    “I don’t
mean to be rude, Ms. Visconti, but I have many people that need and want my
time. They respect it. If you’re uncomfortable with The Centre then perhaps we
should say our goodbyes now and not waste each other’s remains of the day.”
    Damn my
mouth! Damn my mind and my stomach! “It’s nothing like that”, I blurted out. “I
want to be here. I need you to help me sort some things out.”
    “Then
let’s begin. Let’s schedule a time to meet for our first