‘I think that’s a brilliant remark,’ said Dr Carr. ‘You used to feel that you might fall apart, but that if you trusted someone, you might be stifled by the closeness of the relationship, but today you’ve brought the perfect tie here, one that makes you feel safe without feeling constricted.’

‘Yeah, yeah, contained,’ said Sebastian. ‘I knew you were going to use that word.’

‘I don’t think I did use that word,’ said Dr Carr.

‘Maybe not,’ said Sebastian, ‘but I thought it when I was standing outside … which is not the same thing,’ he admitted, with a fleeting smile. ‘I just wasn’t in the mood for an interpretation.’ He fell silent, like a disappointed child.

‘As you may remember,’ said Dr Carr, ‘we sometimes used to hold back from making too many interpretations in one session, but since you’ve become stronger, I’ve felt that we could work more directly together with what you bring here, because you’re now able to process it much better.’

‘I just wasn’t in the mood,’ said Sebastian stubbornly. ‘It was more like a Jeeves thing.’

‘It did have the ring of a famous remark,’ said Dr Carr, ‘but I don’t think Jeeves often said anything as insightful about the perfect human relationship, the perfect tie.’

‘I got a job,’ said Sebastian abruptly, ducking the compliment and drinking it in thirstily at the same time.

‘Really?’ said Dr Carr.

‘Yeah,’ said Sebastian, ‘in a dungeon, I mean a kitchen.’ Sebastian paused. ‘That was a Freudian slip. I made one up as a joke and because you like them so much.’

‘Thank you,’ said Dr Carr, with a gentle laugh, ‘but it also resonates with the tie knot, doesn’t it? If the knot is too tight it constricts you, and if a kitchen is too confining, it becomes a dungeon.’

‘It was a joke!’ Sebastian shouted. ‘I made it up! It’s my bloody joke!’

‘It was a good joke, and a clever trick to play on me,’ said Dr Carr, ‘but I’m just expressing concern about whether it has a meaning connected with things you’ve brought here today, or in the past.’

‘Yeah, I get it,’ said Sebastian. ‘We mustn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.’ He started to giggle uncontrollably. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, after he had recovered. ‘I just love being able to say that.’ He breathed out slowly before resuming. ‘I suppose my life has been no laughing matter—’

He started to crack up again. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, no laughing matter,’ he managed, ‘and I’m looking for some, well, some laughing matter.’

‘Some good material,’ said Dr Carr encouragingly.

‘Yes, that’s right,’ said Sebastian. ‘Seriously, though, I want to learn to make jokes, because people like jokes and they like people who are good at making them.’