I said, “I’m not here to judge you. This is about Melissa’s going away to college. That’s all.”

She tightened her lips and shook her head. “You helped her so much. Despite me.”

“No,” I said. “Because of you.”

She closed her eyes, sucked in her breath, and clawed her knees through the gray dress. “Don’t worry, Dr. Delaware. I’ve come a long way. I can handle harsh truths.”

“The truth, Mrs. Ramp, is that Melissa turned out to be the terrific young woman she is in good part because she got a lot of love and support at home.”

She opened her eyes and shook her head very slowly. “You’re kind, but the truth is that even though I knew I was failing her, I couldn’t pull myself out of my… out of it. It sounds so weak-willed, but…”

“I know,” I said. “Anxiety can be as crippling as polio.”

“Anxiety,” she said. “What a mild word. It’s more like dying. Over and over. Like living on Death Row, never knowing…” She swiveled, revealing a crescent of damaged flesh. “I felt trapped. Helpless and inadequate. So I continued to fail her.”

I said nothing.

She went on: “Do you know that in thirteen years I never attended a single parent-teacher conference? Never applauded at her school plays or chaperoned field trips or met the mothers of the few children she played with. I wasn’t a mother, Dr. Delaware. Not in any true sense of the word. She’s got to resent me for it. Maybe even hate me.”

“Has she given any indication of that?”

“No, of course not. Melissa’s a good girl-too respectful to say what’s on her mind. Even though I’ve tried to get her to.”

She leaned forward again. “Dr. Delaware, she puts on a brave front- feels she always has to be grown up, a perfect little lady. I did that to her- my weakness did.” Touching her bad side. “I turned her into a premature adult and robbed her of her childhood. So I know it’s got to be there- anger. All bottled up inside.”

I said, “I’m not going to sit here and tell you you gave her the ideal upbringing. Or that your fears didn’t influence hers. They did. But throughout it all- from what I saw during her therapy- she perceived you as being nurturant and loving, giving her unconditional love. She still sees you that way.”

She bowed her head, held it with both hands, as if praise hurt.

I said, “When she wet your sheets you held her and didn’t get angry. That means a lot more to a child than parent-teacher conferences.”

She looked up and stared at me. The facial sag more evident than before. Shifting her head, she switched to a profile view. Smiling.

“I can see where you’d be good for her,” she said. “You put forth your point of view with a… force that’s hard to debate.”

“Is there a need for us to debate?”

She bit her lip. One hand flew up and touched her bad side again. “No. Of course not. It’s just that I’ve been working on… honesty. Seeing myself the way I truly am. It’s part of my therapy. But you’re right, I’m not our concern. Melissa is. What can I do to help her?”

“I’m sure you know how ambivalent she is about going away to college, Mrs. Ramp. Right now she’s framing it in terms of her concern about you. Worry that leaving you at this point in your therapy might upset the progress you’ve made. So it’s important for her to hear from you- explicitly- that you’ll be okay. That you’ll continue to make progress with her gone. That you want her to go. If you do.”

“Dr. Delaware,” she said, looking at me straight on, “of course I do. And I have told her that. I’ve been telling her since I found out she’d been accepted. I’m thrilled for her- it’s a wonderful opportunity. She must go!”

Her intensity caught me by surprise.

“What I mean,” she said, “is that I see this as a crucial period for Melissa. Breaking away. Starting a new life. Not that I won’t miss her- of course I will. But I’ve finally gotten to a point where I can think of her the way I should have been doing all along. As the child. I’ve made tremendous progress, Dr. Delaware. I’m ready to take some really giant steps. Look at life differently. But I can’t get Melissa to see that. I know she mouths the words, but she hasn’t changed her behavior.”

“How would you like her to change?”

“She overprotects me. Continues to hover. Ursula- Dr. Cunningham-Gabney- has tried to talk to her about it, but Melissa’s unresponsive. The two of them seem to have a personality conflict. When I try to tell her how well I’m doing, she smiles, gives me a pat, and says “Great, Mom,’ and walks away. Not that I blame her. I let her be the parent for so long. Now I’m paying for it.”

She lowered her gaze again, rested her brow in one hand, and sat that way for a long time. Then:

“I haven’t had an attack in over four weeks, Dr. Delaware. I’m seeing the world for the first time in a very long time, and I feel I can cope with it. It’s like being born again. I don’t want Melissa limiting herself because of me. What can I say to convince her?”

“Sounds like you’re saying the right things. She just may not be ready to hear them.”

“I don’t want to come out and tell her I don’t need her- I could never hurt her that way. And it wouldn’t be true. I do need her. The way any mother needs any daughter. I want us always to be close. And I’m not giving her mixed messages, Doctor- believe me. Dr. Cunningham-Gabney and I have worked on that. Projecting clear communication. Missy just refuses to hear it.”

I said, “Part of the problem is that some of her conflict has nothing to do with you or your progress. Any eighteen-year-old would be anxious about leaving home for the first time. The life Melissa’s led up till now- the relationship between the two of you, the size of this place, the isolation- makes moving out scarier for her than for the average freshman. By focusing on you, she doesn’t have to deal with her own fears.”

“This place,” she said, holding out her hands. “It’s a monstrosity, isn’t it? Arthur collected things, built himself a museum.”

A trace of bitterness. Then quick cover:

“Not that he did it out of ego- that wasn’t Arthur. He was a lover of beauty. Believed in beautifying his world. And he did have exquisite taste. I have no feel for things. I can appreciate a fine painting when it’s placed in front of me, but I’d never accumulate- it’s just not in my nature.”

“Would you ever consider moving?”

Faint smile. “I’m considering lots of things, Dr. Delaware. Once the door opens, it’s hard not to step through. But we- Dr. Cunningham-Gabney and I- are working together to keep me in check, make sure I don’t get ahead of myself. I’ve still got a long way to go. And even if I was ready to dump everything and roam the world, I wouldn’t do that to Melissa- pull everything out from under her.”

She touched the china pot. Smiled and said, “Cold. Are you sure you don’t want me to call down for fresh? Or something to eat- have you had lunch?”

I said, “I’m sure, but thanks anyway.”

“What you said before,” she said. “Avoiding her own conflicts by mothering me. If that’s the case, how can I pull that out from under her?”

“She’ll come to grips with your improvement naturally- gradually- as you continue to make progress. And to be honest, you may not be able to persuade her to go to Harvard before the application deadline’s up.”

She frowned.

I said, “It seems to me there’s something else complicating the situation- jealousy.”

“Yes, I know,” she said. “Ursula’s pointed out how jealous she is.”

“Melissa’s got lots to be jealous of, Mrs. Ramp. She’s been hit with a lot of change over a short period of time, besides your progress: Jacob Dutchy’s death, your remarriage.” The return of a madman… “What makes it even rougher for her is the fact that she takes credit- or blame- for initiating a good deal of the change. For getting you into treatment, introducing you to your husband.”