Alfredo is fighting with his superiors over adding new members to his staff again. He only won the battle for legal counsel and a full-time supervisor for the kittens about two months ago, but this isn't stopping him. This time, he's trying to convince them that his chapter needs a full-time psychiatrist. He is, in fact, probably quite correct; but not for the reasons he thinks.
See, Alfredo has two chief reasons for getting a mental health professional here. The first is Zebulon. He's yet to see a firsthand demonstration of Zebulon's legal prowess, because although Zebulon's taken several cases since he got here (and won them all), they were all cases on the side; he's too good a lawyer for his post here to be the sole extent of his responsibilities, especially when you add his personal ambitions to the mix. So Alfredo remains highly skeptical. He'd feel better if there were a shrink on site to maybe make Zebulon a little less crazy - or even declare Zebulon unfit, although he doesn't think this is likely to happen.
Unfortunately for Alfredo, Zebulon doesn't really need a shrink. He's insane, but all aye-ayes are insane, and he's highly functional despite his insanity; it doesn't interfere with his job, and it bothers other creatures much more than it bothers Zebulon himself. So getting a shrink on-site is not likely to alleviate Alfredo's fears.
His second reason for wanting a shrink is his son. Alfredo is absolutely terrified that Beppe is going to have serious psychological problems because he's motherless. He's sure that he's being too strict a parent, or maybe too lax. It's bad enough that Beppe's mother died; now he's stuck with a father who is an incompetent parent. At least, that's how Alfredo sees it.
Actually, Beppe seems to be doing just fine. Certainly his mother's death has affected him, but he appears to be quite well-adjusted despite that. Moreover, Alfredo, despite his anxieties, is doing a perfectly good job as a single father, and Beppe seems to enjoy having a bevy of doting uncles, kittens to play with, and Lady Faraday to lick his fur every now and then. Sure, he could probably benefit from some counselling, but his situation isn't very urgent. All things considered, he's in good shape.
Despite the fact that Alfredo's two main reasons for getting a shrink aren't really as urgent as he thinks they are, the local chapter really could use a shrink anyway, because plenty of other locals could use some help. Take Sleepyhead; Pedro has concluded that there's nothing physically wrong with him, but maybe a mental health professional would find reasons for his persistent somnolence. All three of the Ice Age creatures could use some help with their extinction issues, especially Mimsy, who is slightly batty. At least three of the kittens could use counselling: Navarre because he takes himself far too seriously; Rusty for his ego issues; Cami for his anxiety. Parsley and Nicodemus have insecurity issues. Angel Joe has been doing much better lately, but he still has some lingering trauma and would definitely benefit from some professional help. Omri, we suspect, has made poor career choices. And then there is Alfredo himself: neurotic in the best of times, uncertain of his abilities to parent his son, and still deeply grieving for his beloved wife. All of them would benefit from the presence of a skilled therapist.
Plouie, of course, is probably a lost cause. But never mind that.
It's probable that Alfredo's current lobbying campaign will not meet with immediate success, but he's confident that it will ultimately prove successful. He has cards he hasn't played yet: he's willing to offer to take a pay cut if they'll send someone qualified. They would never force a pay cut on him - for Beppe's sake alone - and he knows it, but he also knows that they'll realise he's serious. He's a wily one, our Alfredo. Anyway, so we're likely to get a new psychiatrist around here eventually, although it might take a while.
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