Now the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.

Hello, July.

Overdue family reunion post:

A few weeks ago, I saw my father in person for the first time in over a decade.

Exactly five minutes before I was supposed to meet my family at a restaurant for dinner -- a family that hadn't been at one table together in well over a decade -- my sister texted me to let me know that she and our mom just had a "huge argument" and that "we aren't speaking".

I was already nervous about the 1,001 things that could go wrong with my semi-estranged dad -- and then I find out that my fucking backup is compromised.

Adrenaline rose...

So. About fifteen minutes later, I am sitting at a dinner table with my reunited immediate family, breathlessly trying to make light small talk with my father who I haven't seen in forever while simultaneously, silently comforting my mother who is LITERALLY HIDING BEHIND A MENU CRYING and angrily gesturing toward her daughter sitting across from her.

And it occurs to me... this dysfunctional family dynamic has informed every fucking aspect of my life.