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moving on? Whatever it was, his easy solution to all his problems, like that of almost everyone else present, was a trip to K-PAX, where difficulties like his didn’t exist. In fact, Betty told me before lunch that the patients couldn’t hear enough about the place. “It’s like Lenny and the rabbits, ” she said. (Betty has read all of Steinbeck’s novels more than once. ) When we had finished eating, Milton stood up and rapped on the table. “Went to the doctor the other day, ” he quipped. Some of the others were already tittering. “Told him I wanted somebody who knew what he was doing. He puffed out his chest and said, ‘I’ve been practicing medicine for more than thirty years. ‘ I said, ‘I’ll come back when you’ve got it right!’” Everyone was looking at me, giggling, waiting for my reaction. What else could I do but laugh, too?
    I was still thinking about possible strategies to get Robert to stay around for a while when prot marched in for our nineteenth session. “Why didn’t you tell me about the letters?” he inquired impishly as he reached for the fruit bowl.
    “I was going to, ” I replied. “As soon as I thought you were ready to deal with them. “
    “Very interesting, ” he replied, biting into a persimmon.
    “What—the letters?”
    The fruit made his mouth pucker up. “Don’t you find it amazing that so many beings want to get off this PLANET? Doesn’t that tell you something?”
    “It tells me we have our problems. But after all, the Earth has a population of six billion people, and only a few thousand called or wrote to you. ” I remember feeling quite smug about this rejoinder.
    “Very likely because those are the only beings who read your book or Giselle’s article. Hardly anyone on your WORLD reads much, if at all. ” He finished the persimmon and reached for another. “We don’t have anything like this on K-PAX. You should see what they look like in UV light!” He smacked his lips loudly and gazed thoughtfully at the fruit.
    “Do you plan to answer them?”
    “The persimmons?”
    “No, dammit. The letters. “
    “I’ll try. Most will be condolences, of course. I can only take a hundred beings with me when I go back, remember?”
    “How many have you lined up so far?”
    “Now, gene, if I gave you an obon, you’d take a jart. “
    “So you won’t tell me. Nor will you tell me when you’ll be leaving. I must confess, prot, I’m very disappointed that you still don’t trust me. ” “As long as we’re being so honest and direct, doctor b, perhaps you could explain to me why human beings take everything so personally. “
    “I’ll tell you what: I’ll answer that if you’ll tell me how long you’re going to stay around. “
    “No way. But don’t worry—I won’t be leaving for a while yet. I’ve got the letters to consider and a few other
    things to take care of…. ” He swallowed the last of the
    fruit and sat back, still smacking his lips. “Ready, doc?”
    Sometimes I felt as though I were the patient and prot the doctor. “Just about. I’d like to speak to Robert first. “
    Without a word his eyes closed and his head slumped to
    his chest.
    “Robert?”
    No response.
    “Robert, can you hear me?”
    If he could, he didn’t let on. There was no need to waste any more time. Obviously he still wasn’t ready to cooperate, at least not without hypnosis. “All right, prot, you can come back out now. “
    “My tongue feels like cotton, ” he declared.
    “That’s the persimmons. Okay, I think we’re ready now. “
    He gazed at the little white dot on the wall behind me. “Weird fruit. One-two-three-four—”
    I waited until I was sure he was in a trance. “You may leave your eyes closed for a while, prot. “
    “Whatever you say, gino. “
    “Good. Now I’d like Robert to come forward, please. Rob? Can you hear me?”
    His head dropped again.
    “Robert, if you can hear me, please nod. “
    He nodded almost