My Father Ordered Me to Strip Off My Uniform at His Cookout

him up and hand him decorations.”

That stung more than I expected.

Not because I believed him. I quit believing him years ago.

Because there were cousins there. Neighbors. My mother’s bridge friend, Cheryl, who still sent Christmas cards with glitter on them. And he wanted every one of them to hold the same cheap version of me he’d kept all this time.continue reading …