HI THERE, SHE THOUGHT, I’m Margo Penn-Jennings (inquisitive pause) and I’m here for the (sardonic pause) self-help seminar. She did not like the sound of this in her head. The tone of her inner voice was prim, nasal, and superior. As she crossed the hotel lobby and approached the check-in table, with its giant HEALTHY SELF banner hiding the legs of the women who sat behind it, Margo resolved that she would not say anything like this, but instead, simply, whatever popped into her head. “Hi there,” Margo heard herself say, “I’m Margo Penn-Jennings and I’m here for the self-help … thing. Ha.” You’re an idiot, her mind told her. The women behind the table, in a flurry of uncoordinated activity, located her name on their list, had her sign in, produced a bundle of pamphlets and booklets held together with elastic bands which they called “the material,” and scolded her affectionately for being late. “You almost missed Jim Bird’s opening learning.” They said the man’s name like it was a single word, like he was a kind of bird—a jimbird.
What do You think about Psychology And Other Stories?
