​​​In early 1978, I received an invitation to a family wedding, not unusual for a clan with over sixty first cousins. Most of them had not seen me since college, high school,  even younger, or not at all for some. I thought it might be a good time to introduce my new girlfriend to all of them at once. It turned out to be another of my well known, not-thought-through decisions.

The person standing just inside the chapel door surprised me. It was my sister. In most families, we might think, “oh how wonderful”. But that wasn’t the case this time. My sister hated me. It had been eight years since we had spoken and the parting shots then were enough to bruise both body and brain for a lifetime.

It was a typical dispute bred on the far side of one woman’s psychoses and shuttled into the mouth without filters, common sense, or forethought. She was actually upset with me and I didn’t particularly care either way. My feeling about her reasoning was the spark that unleashed the process inside of her that powered the stars. Achieving nuclear fusion on Earth is still a significant scientific and engineering challenge. But it was as easy as rubbing two sticks together for her; or two thoughts. The slow burn melted muscle and soul, contaminating anyone who got in the way.

Why? Because I spent time in Europe and she didn’t. As far as I was concerned, it was about choices. My sister owned two houses and was married with two children. Here I was, effectively getting reacquainted with an unfamiliar land I hadn’t seen in half a decade. I lived in a one bedroom studio apartment and I was right now standing beside a new girlfriend who didn’t especially like me, anyway.

“Hello, dear brother! Can I borrow $30,000 dollars?” She asked as she threw her arms around me.

“Right now?” I answered a question with a question. My hands pearl-dived into my front pockets and eventually came up empty. “Why do you need $30,000?”

“Jerry and I want to buy a lumber business,” she responded.

“What do you know about lumber other than it comes from trees and you can make pencils out of it?”

“It’s a business; we can learn,” she assured me.

“Have you seen the books yet?” I asked.

“Well, no. We are just starting the process.”

“Then let me know how that goes. We have a wedding to attend,” I said.

“No, we need the money now,” she demanded, stepping in front of us.

“I don’t usually carry that much cash with you,” I said.

“We’ll take a check.”

Over the next few weeks, very tough negotiations chiseled her demands to $400 for a CPA who could effectively examine the books of the lumber business. It turned out the company was bankrupt and had already sold most of its assets. Yeah, and I’m still waiting for the thank you and the loan payoff on that one. Ah, family. ​

​​Family Negotiations

Coming of Age     |     The Hollow Man Series, International Espionage​

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