‘All right, all right,’ Stern said, ‘I guess there’s no need to get too gruesome about this. You’re—‘
‘What?’
‘You’re quite strong for your age, aren’t you, Gerard?’
‘I guess so. Strong enough, anyway.’
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘I still don’t see that logic you were talking about.’ I began to hammer on the couch with my fist, hard, once for each word: ‘Why—did—I—have—to—go—and—do—that?’
‘Cut that out,’ he said. ‘You’ll hurt yourself.’
‘I ought to get hurt,’ I said.
‘Ah?’ said Stern.
I got up and went to the desk and got some water. ‘What am I going to do?’