�Tell me about these holes?� Thomas� therapist had asked him in her non-judgmental, non-committal voice as she poised her pencil on her notepad. Thomas liked Dr. Terval. She was highly recommended to him by the director of human resources at his former job. Thomas noticed that times between the holes were more bearable since he had begun seeing her.

�It�s just a hole.� Thomas squirmed in his chair. He wanted to say more about the hole, but then that would make him crazy, wouldn�t it? She just sat there, looking at him with her soothing gray eyes. The overwhelming sense of no prejudice swept over him but he had to remain silent. The seconds seemed to span eternity and Thomas� head was starting to throb.

�After these holes disappear, you get migraines. Is that true?� She scribbled a note on her pad. Thomas just nodded as he massaged his temples with his thumbs. Dr. Terval rose from her chair and went over to the miniature refrigerator in the small kitchenette in her office. She opened it and pulled out a can of Sprite. She sauntered back over to Thomas and offered him the drink.

�Thank you Doctor.� Thomas took the cold can from her hand and opened it. She smiled and sat back down at her black leather easy chair. Thomas stood up and walked over to the huge window with the breath-taking aerial view of Griffith Park. The pain began to subside.

�Do you have a migraine right now?� The doctor voice carried the concern she felt and it made Thomas feel much better.

�It was starting to form, but it has gone away.� Thomas turned around and smiled at her, �Thank you for your concern.�

�Well, I�m your doctor. That�s what doctors do.� She smiled, �Please come back to the couch.� She motioned toward the purple velvet sofa. Thomas nodded, walked back to the couch, and sat down.

�Have you experienced any gaps in your memories or haven�t remembered how you�ve gotten somewhere.� With this question, Dr. Terval just stared at Thomas. Suddenly, intense pain seared Thomas� brain. It was as if a screwdriver had been driven through his right temple. Tears started to fill Thomas� eyes.

�Yes, from time to time.� He answered, his voice shaky from pain. He wanted to be out of this office. He wanted to crawl into a dark spot and hide. He wanted a hole.

�Thomas, it sounds like you are suffering from repressed memories.� Dr. Terval scratched the pencil on her notepad. �Your migraines and the memory loss are symptoms of this.�

�What can we do to take care of it?� he asked as the tears began to spill onto his cheeks. His hands had begun to shake and specks of colored light filled his vision.

�We will need to explore these holes a little more. What triggers them? What can you do to avoid them? Tom, I would like to schedule you to see me three times a week. Is that all right with you?� Dr. Terval stood and walked over to Thomas.

�Sounds fine with me. How about Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays?� Dr. Terval agreed that those days were fine and she would see him on Wednesday. They said their goodbyes and Thomas left her office.

Here he was once again, standing at the edge of this new hole. This hole had formed while he was in Dr. Terval�s office this morning. She mentioned that she would like to explore the holes some more. He picked up his shovel and began to fill the hole.