Family History

Grandfather.
Middle child.
Cancer.
Father stayed home every Sunday while his mother took her children to worship.
Since the cancer, he only wears sandals to church — otherwise he gets too hot.

Grandmother.
Only child.
Hypochondriac.
Cleans compulsively, so the kitchen is always spotless.
When her parents immigrated, they changed their name to something more American.
Found her religion at 17.

Mother.
Oldest child.
Inferiority complex.
Compares herself to her sisters, who put more time into their appearances than she does.
Keeps it together for her kids.
Works twice a week to help pay off her husband’s student loans.

Grandfather.
Used to be a child.
Potentially abusive.
Plants a garden every year.
Sends visitors home with more fresh produce than they can eat before it goes bad.
Rarely shows affection, even to his own children.

Grandmother.
Youngest child.
Hip replacement.
Slipped on the way home from her son’s house five Christmases ago and her hip shattered.
Can no longer walk on her own.
Wasn’t there when her daughter died.
Older sister is the only sibling still living.

Father.
Youngest child.
Mostly deaf.
Probably depressed.
Called himself his mother’s favorite child.
Cried when his sister died.
May have been bullied as a child.
Losing control.

Daughter.
Oldest child.
Used to think divorce was the worst thing that could happen to a family.
Self-diagnosed with anxiety, some obsessive tendencies.
Doesn’t want children.
Chose to leave a religion that will damn her for her decisions.
Her brother learned to yell and her sister learned to conform.
Never stopped to think about why.