I had a totally different take on that scene and the others where Karen
and Neil are together. Neil is very clear, with Jeff, Willie, and
Karen,that certain subjects are OFF LIMITS. He puts up warning signs, do
not trespass, keep out, do not leave the path - and they ignore him .
Karen and Jeff are especially brutal. I'm of the opinion that No means
No - and if Neil requests that a relative stranger like Karen avoid
certain subjects, the polite thing to do is to go back to discussing
business and keep off private matters. He's not even nasty about it at
first, but Karen keeps pushing. Just because someone cares or is
concerned doesn't give them the right to run roughshod over very clearly
expressed wants.
Now it is over a year since Laura bought it, but there is no time limit on
grief. If he were a more balanced character, he'd have somehow gotten
over it, but he isn't, which is what makes him so attractive as a puzzle.
And his bitterness about Karen alive vs Laura dead is irrational,
but explicable and understandable.
Neil in his masochism actually invites Willie and Diane and Marianne to
lacerate him with their unvarnished opinions about his behaviour. I
think this forms one of his many conflicts - he's not as much of a cad, a
stone wall, as he'd like to be, and he encourages the appraisals of his
coworkers/subordinates -
And I don't think he's totally unfeeling in the matter of the help - he
manages to tell Diane to "Get someone as good as you", a fine backhanded
complement. I like their relationship, because there is a lot of humor
there. Diane might not like how the agents change in their jobs, but she
and Neil almost 'play' once in a while, like when she goes for the phone
defying him to get ti first. Marianne specifically tells him "I wanted to
work for *you*". Yes, he abuses them, but both of them are very aware
that there is a not-so-macho soul that aches under that well-tailored
exterior.
I wonder if Neil dressed so formally as a Sandbagger. As D-OPS, he
barely unbuttons his vest at home, perhaps as a sign that he is *always*
on duty.
Richard- loved the short story! I had to read it again after the punch
line, just to savor the build up. Thanks!
Nicole
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Blessed are those of us who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never
cease to be amused.