The office was in a small strip mall, a couple miles from our apartment. I barged in the front door, and stopped short in the little lobby. There were two middle aged women sitting in plastic chairs, and a receptionist behind a counter. All three women looked up at me and then smiled at me. I hadn't expected that—hadn't expected it to look like an actual doctor's office.
I had just been mad, and planned to storm in there and confront this seedy guy operating out of a decrepit little office, to force him to tell me what he had done. For some reason I had pictured it being dark and dingy, so the bright lighting and soft music were already at odds with my expectations. Then the door over to the right opened, and this woman came out just ahead of the hypnotist. She was smiling happily, and he
