“Desiring a daughter, for example.”

“Precisely.”

“But this is conjecture,”’ offered the Rose.

“Yes.”

“Yet, for the sake of hypothesis . . .” The Rose pulled his lower lip and stared at his teacup. “This ray of . . . something—looking for a suitable mum—could be equally influenced by a mum looking for a daughter?”

“Did she?”

“What?”

“Your mother—did she crave a daughter?”

“I don’t know.”

“I see.”

“And I can’t ask her, because she is no longer with us. Life was tough for that generation.”

“True.” Jack took a sip of his tea. “What did you really come here to discuss?”

The Rose leaned forward, the pale strong hands gripping the edge of the table. “I have met a man—a youth, really.”

“You like him?”

“Yes, that’s my feeling.”

“Is there a problem? He doesn’t feel the same?”

“I don’t know. It’s delicate. He’s ‘normal’—he’s ambivalent, I believe.”

“Is that a problem for you?”

“It’s something I have to live with. I’m drawn to normal men.”

“But you’re responding differently with this one?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Well. . . this is silly, really . . .”

“This is a psychoanalyst you’re talking to.”

“When I can’t get what I want . . .”

“With this young man?”

“. . . I sulk. Actually I don’t—but I feel like I want to sulk.”

“You feel like sulking?”

“It’s probably nothing.”

“On the contrary. I think we should talk about this.”

“You think it’s . . .”

“Look, we now have a theory—our group, that is—which we call ‘the child within’. It isn’t really that new: I believe Jung termed it ‘our trueself’. We use the term ‘child within’ because we have noticed that this part of us—this unconscious part that feels things—is undeveloped. It is often cut off sometime during childhood and, because it is cut off, it appears to retain the character of a child, a spoiled child, often working against our best interests.” The psychiatrist paused, and then continued. “So this is who sulks—your ‘child within’.”

“You think this is important?”

“My dear chap, this child—this sulking child—may be the key to your whole heritage: your genetic imprint if you like. Your life, your interactions with others, how you earn your living—these are conditions by which the spoiled brat can be brought to maturity. We are discussing using the conscious to join with the unconscious.”

“Is this a common problem?”

Jack ignored the question. “Let’s discuss this infant. You wouldn’t let some spoiled kid drive your new car would you?”

“Motorbike.”

“You are the guardian of this child, and you can see it acting against its best interests. What do you do?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Look, this isn’t an intellectual exercise. You start by consulting this little person. You discover what its interests are—its aims: what it wants for itself. Basically, it needs to be acknowledged. It is the feeling part of you. It needs to be appreciated, loved—not by another, but by you. Then it will grow. When it acquires stature, it will give you stature. There is balance required here. Your mental centre has matured, but at the cost of your emotional centre. Its sulking—or any other childish show of emotion—is its way of drawing your attention to its plight. You must start to listen to your child. It will enrich your life as an adult. Believe me. Can I tell you a story?”