Member-only story
“Merry ‘G.D.’ Christmas..”
This is what my father said every Christmas morning. I finally understand.
My adult daughter just ripped into me about how selfish and whiny I am. “You complain about being the only one to buy and to wrap the presents. But we’d decided just to do gift cards!” she yelled at me. I’d found some things I thought people would like so I bought them — isn’t that what it’s all about?
“No, you decided.” I answered, putting my head down.
“What are you going to do now, cry?” was her snarky comment.
The yelling continued — at me — I’ve put the exact comments out of my memory for now but the tone cut through me.
It came upon the heels of my husband saying to her he “didn’t like being slapped around…” For the record, I’ve never slapped him — wanted to to. But never did it. He has this tendency to take a small thing — like a pat on the head — and expand it into something much larger, to change his narrative — make him look like a victim, when he isn’t. Like the time I heard him say to someone on the phone, “I hardly ever get fruits or vegetables..” Wrong.
After the “slap” comment, I told him I was not comfortable touching him at all. And I’m not.
The entire “slap episode,” as I now call it, came after I’d ranted about him losing $300. We’d gone through the…
