Then I felt curious about the message from my doctor. To be honest, I didn’t want to listen to any messages or hear anything about the world, but something told me this was no ordinary message. I played it. It mentioned the medication, but it also talked about the pansies she’d left me. A chill ran down my spine. I went to the door, looked outside, and there it was: a white nylon bag containing yes sir yes sir three pots full of plants and flowers. Cursing, I put them outside on the balcony, where they’ll wither and die. I hate the way living, sentient beings are treated like this. I ought to give my doctor a dozen monkeys as a gift and see how she likes looking after them. Chl was due to arrive at any moment, and I was going to have to explain the presence of those flowers. She’s jealous of my doctor, especially because my doctor, besides being my doctor, is also my ex-wife. Chl doesn’t like it at all that I’m still friends with her and still see her. I think there’s a secret, silent war between the two of them, and I’m caught in the middle of it. Yesterday Chl left her tights, with the ends of them wet from the rain, hanging over a chair in the middle of the living room, in full view of anyone who came to visit me. I have to spend all my time looking out for these things. Luckily, when Chl came, if she noticed the pots of pansies on the balcony she didn’t mention it. I don’t think she saw them, but she’ll see them eventually. Women. Even a goddess like Chl has that rotten side they all have, where jealousy festers.