Member-only story
Family Dysfunction and A Cure — The Smaller Picture pg240
Colorful companion to my memoir The Incompetent Psychic
My gallery was open weekends and my parents drove up from Walnut Creek to say hi. I was sitting on the couch with my artist friend Susan. Joan walked in and Roy followed. Joan totally ignored all the art, and made a fuss about the bouquet. She cheerfully explained to Susan, “Mernie got all her flower arranging ability from me.”
After chatting for a bit I escorted Joan and Roy out, suggesting they go around the corner for Szechuan. I walked back in to find Susan crying. I apologized for my father’s grotesque description of his latest medical procedure.
“No, that’s not it. My mom died last year. She made me crazy, but I was just watching the dynamic of you and Joan, and how she ignored what was important, walked right up to the flowers and found a way to credit herself for your talent. This may seem crazy, but it reminded me how much I still miss my mom.”
Not yet appreciating how anyone could miss a bizarre mother, I felt the need to cheer her up. — From Chapter 13
Like everyone else, my upbringing wasn’t ordinary. My parents were weird and I judged them harshly — especially when their inappropriate comments in social settings seemed like a personal…
