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A.R.Yngve
PARRY'S PROTOCOL
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Chapter 17
SEPTEMBER 13
- Hello?
- Hi, my name is Abram, Abram Lemercier. May I speak to Bettina Avarez?
Una momento, por favor. Bettina!
- Hello?
- Hi, I'm Dr. Abram Lemercier, from Easton University in Virginia. May I have a word with you for five minutes?
- ...Okay.
- I'm a psychologist, and I'm studying the case of a mental patient who once was a teacher at Cortez State -- Patrick Rymowicz. I know you attended his classes some years ago, is that right?
- ...Yeah.
- Would you be prepared to answer a few quick questions about him? It's nothing for the public or the media, I assure you -- you will be completely anonymous.
- ...I see. What do you want to know?
- What was your impression of Rymowicz? Was he a good teacher?
- Wait, I'll need to think about that before I answer. Rymowicz was... I mean, he was obviously _loco_. Totally mental, he just showed it more in the final lectures before he... you know.
- I know. Please go on.
- He was probably the worst philosophy teacher we've ever had. He ignored the textbooks, except for when he used them to "prove" some weird statement he was making. He never admitted he could be wrong, never listened to our questions. I passed the course by sticking to the books; I didn't care to write down the bullshit he put us through. But he sure could be funny, in a weird kinda way. Sometimes you wouldn't know if he was making fun of you, or if he was being totally serious.
- I see. Did he ever threaten the students or the teachers, become aggressive or... sexually harassing anyone?
- We used to joke about how dangerous Rymowicz really was, about how one day he would... you know, explode and burn down the campus or something... he never really threatened anyone, though. Sexual harassments..? (Laughter)
Depends on what you mean. He did give the cutest girls looks sometimes, but who could say what he meant by that? The way he gave people those strange looks, it could just as well mean he wanted to kill you. Some people thought he was gay, because he never had any company. But I think he was just too weird to have any girlfriends.
- Could you remember if his eyes were bloodshot?
- Oh, man! When he wasn't listening, we used to call him "The Demon"! He couldn't be getting much sleep, with those eyes. There was a rumor that he had some eye disease that made it difficult for him to blink -- I don't know.
- Were you ever afraid of Rymowicz?
- Yeah, many times. And... and I had a crush on him, too. Those sharp teeth of his made him look a little like a vampire -- you know, I was a young girl and the idea seemed romantic in a kinda scary way.
(Laughter)
- Ha ha... okay, I don't think I need to ask you more. Thank you very much for your help.
- Don't mention it. By the way... how is he now?
- Well... I can't go into details of course, but he's alive and relatively well, regarding the circumstances.
- You wouldn't know his address, would you?
- I'm sorry, but I really shouldn't give away his address.
- Okay... can I give you a letter to him, though?
- Well, I guess that would be all right. Send the letter, inside a sealed envelope to my name, Abram Lemercier, at Easton University in Norfolk, Virginia. The letter will be forwarded to me, and I'll hand it to him.
- Great. Thanks! Bye, Doctor Lemercier.
- Thank you for your help. Goodbye.