He Almost Took Away My Voice

And now I’m struggling to hold on to it

I had known something was off in my family for a couple weeks. I can sense it. It’s a feeling of impending doom I can’t shake. I have done something wrong. They’re mad at me. They disapprove of…something. I just don’t know what it is this time.

This has happened a lot in my life. I frequently disappoint my family to the point where people stop talking to me. My father then makes a grand declaration of disownment, always via email. Everyone else just kind of avoids me after that. It keeps the peace for the rest of the family.

Something I feel compelled to note: I’ve never stolen from my parents. I do not neglect my child. I have never left my child in their care to go on some wild party adventure. I don’t do drugs. I’m not a drunk. I have always been gainfully employed. I pay all my own bills.

The most frequently identified example of how I have routinely disappointed my family is this: I am absolutely horrible at sending greeting cards for special occasions to people in a timely manner.

I’m not kidding. Three times it has been used as an example of how self-centered of a person I am. I always call…