What they didn’t realize from day one was Gabby grew up hanging around Otis and much of Otis had rubbed off on Gabby. Gabby had learned to be a pretty good bullshitter.
Before they were to let Gabby go, the head physician needed to interview Gabby one last time to make sure he felt certain that he would be alright.
The interview went like this:
Doc: “What are you going to do with the rest of your life?”
Gabby: “It would be wonderful to get back to real life and if I do, I will certainly refrain from making my former mistake.
I was a nuclear physicist, you know, and it was the stress of my work in weapons research that helped put me here. If I am released, I shall confine myself to work in pure theory, where I trust the situation will be less difficult and stressful.”
Doc: “That’s excellent! Good idea.”
Gabby: “Or else I might teach. There is something to be said for spending one’s life mentoring a new generation of scientists.”
Doc: “What a fantastic solution.”
Gabby: “Then again, I might write. There is considerable need for books on science for the general public. Or I might even write a novel based on my experiences in this fine institution.”
Doc: “I guess that would be a good choice if you think that is what you want to do.”
Gabby: “But if I find that none of these things I like and I don’t want to really do, I’ll keep on being a tea cup!”