Scene with a shrink

"As it turned out, that conversation was our last. I pushed all thoughts of him away and moved on with my life. I grew up, I suppose. At least, that's what Mom told me I was doing. "

"And how did that make you feel?"

"Horrible! I cried every night. He came back to visit for a while, but I wouldn't speak to him because I didn't want to get caught. I felt like I was abandoning him without any explaination! How else could I feel at that age?"

"And did that change your connection with your mother?"

"I resented her for making me choose. I withdrew from her. I still get angry when I think about it."

"Clearly."

"I just don't understand how a mother could do that to her daughter! She made me feel awful for seeing someone that I cared deeply about."

"If your mother was in this room, what would you say to her?"

"I'd tell her that there was nothing wrong with me! That what I was doing was totally normal! That everyone needs a friend, and who cares if he was invisible! I WAS SIX YEARS OLD!"