America 1987

Chapter 43 Videotape

After David recounted the second half of the story, Catherine thought for a moment and then asked with a smile, "But all you've said has only explained the first characteristic of Glenn. What about the second? Why does he like collecting these videotapes, David?"

"Because only in this way can we uncover a person's most authentic side."

David has always enjoyed the pleasures of love in these everyday interactions, or rather, he likes to ask his partner very private questions during these intimate moments, which often helps him to understand her more deeply.

So as he spoke, he quickly untied it. Seeing this, Catherine also put her hands behind her on the bed and placed her other leg into his arms.

He pulled the chair forward to make it easier for the other person to exert force, and grabbed the ankles on both sides with both hands, fixing them in a certain position.

Looking at their upper bodies alone, the two seem to be having an intimate conversation, but if you look at their lower bodies, you'll find that they are still having an intimate "conversation".

After days of continuous practice, Catherine's agile and powerful feet have become very skilled, allowing her to multitask, conversing at the same time.

Do you know what the "tree hole phenomenon" is?

After a flurry of preparations, the two returned to their original topic.

The "tree hole image" refers to a behavioral pattern in which people seek a safe, anonymous space or person to confide their inner secrets and emotional troubles. Its core lies in non-judgmental listening and the release of emotions.

The term originated from the classic fairy tale "The King Has Donkey Ears." In the story, after discovering the king's secret of having donkey ears, the barber, overwhelmed by the psychological pressure of keeping the secret, confided in a tree hollow in the mountains, and the secret was sealed inside the tree.

This is a European folktale, dating back a long time, belonging to the oral literature tradition.

Catherine, of course, knew. "Yes, I know. What's wrong?"

"Could it be," a mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her lips, her foot pressing harder and faster, "that you think if you point a camera at someone, that person will open up and reveal all their innermost thoughts like they're talking to a tree hollow?"

"You slut, you want to see me make a fool of myself and be speechless, huh?" David cursed inwardly as he forced himself to think separately to deal with the attack from both sides.

"Of course," David replied, while straining to slow down his opponent's attacks as much as possible. "Don't you think this helps someone open up and communicate more honestly?"

"I don't think so."

Catherine's face flushed slightly, and her breathing became a little rapid, indicating that she was still struggling somewhat. However, she still tried to remain calm and said, "Let alone strangers, even if it were an acquaintance who pointed a camera at me and talked to me, I would most likely not reveal any secrets."

David remained silent for the time being, making a final attempt.

To show his consideration for Catherine, he stopped making her work hard and opened his heart, letting out all the emotions he had been suppressing.

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then, David casually withdrew his hands, took out a wet wipe he carried with him, wiped them, leaned back in his chair, and looked at the other person with great satisfaction.

Catherine smiled, but didn't rush to pull her foot back. She just stood there on his knee, rubbing her feet back and forth like a farmer who had just finished working in the fields and was vigorously scraping the mud off the soles of his shoes with the steps.

"OK," David took a deep breath and stood up abruptly. "I'll go get something and change my pants. You just sit here and don't move."

"Hey," Catherine called to David, who was about to leave, dangling her slightly sticky feet in mid-air, and frowned, "Couldn't you at least give me a few wet wipes, David? It'll be really uncomfortable once they dry like this."

"Oh, sorysory, it's my fault."

Wet wipes were first invented by Arthur Julius, an American cosmetics industry professional. The world's first wet wipe was officially launched at the National Restaurant Show in Chicago, USA in 1960.

Catherine was still wondering what David was going to get. Could it be lubricant again? He certainly had a lot of energy and an excessive obsession with her feet, but surely he wouldn't want to have sex twice or three times so early in the morning.

As she was still pondering which less strenuous way to move her slightly aching feet, she saw the other person walk in carrying a tripod and a portable camera.

After a quick setup, he sat directly behind the camera, with the lens naturally pointed at her.

Catherine immediately understood the other person's intention—most likely to prove that what she had just said was wrong.

"What is your dream, Cathy?"

Out of professional ethics, Catherine had already focused most of her attention on the dark lens when the camera was pointed at her, so David's words were like a voice-over to her—heard but not seen.

This was not a natural conversation, but a structured interview.

The presence of the camera increases the interviewee's stress and creates a sense of distance—"I'm not talking to a real person, I'm talking to a machine." This illusion can subtly lower the interviewee's guard.

When conducting media interviews, reporters often like to point the camera directly at the celebrity's face to attract their attention, making it easier to set up verbal traps to extract information. Essentially, this is also using the same mechanism.

"I want to be an excellent actress." After a brief moment of consideration, Catherine gave this very conservative answer.

"To be more specific, what type of outstanding actor? Musicals?"

David delved deeper, extending the conversation to more detailed questions.

"Of course, I love singing and dancing, and if there's a good musical film script, I'll definitely try my best to get it."

"Oh? Singing?" David raised an eyebrow, asking with some surprise, "You like to sing? I've never heard you sing at home, but I often see you tap dancing."

After moving here, Catherine specifically set aside space in one of her bedrooms to install kickboards, and also reserved a dance practice area in the home gym, where she dances for an hour whenever she feels like it.

Moreover, even at the age of 50, she would still actively share tap dance performance videos on social media to commemorate "National Tap Dance Day," demonstrating her deep love for this dance.

Hmm, speaking of which, should I take some time to try it out with Catherine in her dance costume? David's mind started wandering again.

However, when Catherine heard this question, her expression clearly dimmed, and she subconsciously raised one hand to touch the side of her neck.

"When I was a child, I had a viral infection that affected my breathing, and I underwent a tracheotomy. It affected my vocal cords a bit, so I couldn't practice singing at a high intensity for long periods of time. Therefore, I focused on dancing and rarely sang."