• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Let’s talk about your relationship.

I look at my Parents, they look at me.

How is everyone feeling about it?

My Father speaks.

Very positive.

My Mother speaks.

Much better.

I speak.

We’re getting there.

Joanne smiles. It is a big, genuine smile. She looks at my Father.

Why?

I feel like I haven’t known James for a very long time, if I ever knew him at all. That has been very difficult, being a Father to a Son who was essentially a Stranger. I have never understood why he has been the way he has been or why he has had all the problems that he has had. I have never understood why he hasn’t let his Mother and me into his life and why he seemed to harbor such intense anger toward us. For me, the best part of this experience has been the feeling that I have gotten my Son back, gotten to know who he is and why he is that way, and I have started to come to terms with our past and his past. I’m hoping that past is behind us.

Joanne nods, looks to my Mother. My Mother smiles.

I feel the same way as Bob about not knowing James, and as hard as it has been to learn about him and some of the things he has done, I’m happy that at least we know. He also seems less angry since he’s been here. Even over the course of the past few days, he seems less angry. It has always been difficult dealing with that anger and knowing he was so angry at us and not understanding why. I feel like there is a connection between us now, like we are actually a Family, and I haven’t felt that for a long time.

Her eyes start to tear. She looks at me.

I’m proud of you, James. I want you to stay alive and be happy and that’s it. However you want to do it, just stay alive and try to be happy.

Thanks, Mom.

Joanne looks at me.

James.

I take a deep breath.

I didn’t want you guys to come here. I didn’t want you to see me here in the state that I was in and I am in, because, on a certain level, I’m ashamed to be here. I know I’ve always been a disappointment to you. I think I’ve always kept things from you because I knew if you knew them, they would hurt you. I knew what I was doing was wrong, and if you knew, you would have tried to change me, and I didn’t want to change. It was good admitting all of that shit to you. I think you were amazingly cool with everything while you have been here. I was expecting yelling and screaming and Lectures, and I was expecting you to try and impose a bunch of Rules on me, which I wouldn’t have accepted. I’m happy there wasn’t any of that, and I’m happy that you came.

My Parents both smile. Joanne smiles.

How do you see your relationship functioning from here?

I speak.

I think it’s important that my Parents leave me alone. When I say that I don’t mean that I don’t want them in my life, because I do, but I would like my life to be my own and I need to be entirely responsible for what it is and what it becomes.

I look at my Parents.

I won’t hide things from you, but if I tell you I don’t want to talk about something, leave it alone. When I make mistakes, I don’t want to be lectured about them. I don’t want you to give me money anymore. I want to support myself in whatever way I can, and I want to have to live on that. The last thing, and most important thing, is if I relapse, you can’t Bail me out again. This is my last chance. I need it to be that way because if I know there’s a safety net, I’ll use it. If I know there’s not, the decisions I’m going to face are going to be easier for me to make because I’ll know that if I make the wrong one, there will be no coming back.

My Parents stare at me. Joanne stares at me. My Father speaks.

I think leaving you alone will be hard for us because you’re just starting to come back to us. I think, though, that we can try. I think it will be important for you to define, as we go along, what leaving you alone means. If it means not talking to you or not keeping in good touch with you, I don’t like that. If it means talking and being honest about what’s going on in your life, but trying to reserve judgment and trying