Forty-Ninth Session

Richard was again a few minutes late but did not comment on this. He said that he had an awful cold—it had come back. (It appeared that his only symptom was a slight cough.) He also complained of his legs hurting; he had cramp in them. He then went to drink water from the tap. He described to Mrs K. his visit to the cinema on the previous night. The film had been very sad and he had cried. It all happened in Germany. A very nice old professor—a ‘dear old frail creature’—died in a concentration camp; his wife was only seldom allowed to see him. While telling this Richard put out the fleet and began to move the ships.

Mrs K. asked was not his father quite soon coming to ‘X’? (He had mentioned the date some time ago.)

Richard replied that he was coming the following day.

Mrs K. connected his being sad about the old professor who was left alone with the material of the previous session: he had been saying ‘Go away, go to work’ to Mr Smith when he saw him standing in the road; Mr K., when Richard was describing the drawing, was supposed to be sobbing when he was sent away by Mrs K.; all this was connected with Daddy coming to ‘X’ for a holiday and with Richard wanting to send him back to ‘Y’, to work and be alone there. Richard particularly wanted Daddy to go away again because he was jealous of Daddy sharing Mummy's room.

Richard agreed that this was so, but added that Daddy and Mummy would not sleep in one bed. The beds were not side by side in that room. While saying this, Richard had made Rodney move away. Nelson followed her and the two ships touched by the stern.

Mrs K. pointed out that, as before, Richard had expressed his wish that his parents should not have sexual intercourse; but, as he had shown by making Nelson touch Rodney, he actually believed that they would. This was one reason why he wanted his father to go away. Yet he was also very sorry for the lonely and deserted father, represented by sobbing Mr K.; and in the end he reunit