Living in Lakewood, Ohio, life looked terrific for this family. They owned a beautiful home and mom was able to stay-at-home with her children. Unfortunately, dad worked from home. Dad was an unloving tyrant ruling his wife, twin daughters and stepchildren. He had rules that guided everything including: vacuuming, mowing, standing, sitting, eating, etc. As soon as possible, the stepchildren married and moved out tired of being treated worse than servants. Their father owned rental property in addition to the house in Lakewood, but he always pleaded poverty. He was good at manipulating the system in order to obtain anything free or at a much-reduced price. The author describes her mother as the sweetest person, but she did not cross her husband allowing his commands to continue.
After mom passed away, their dad remained just as mean and rotten. He never showed any love or thankfulness toward his family, (He did love his dogs.) The twins along with their older sister received the majority of the abuse later in his life. Even on his deathbed, he expressed no regrets.
The author realizes that her father was mentally ill who unfortunately did not seek out proper treatment. It’s amazing to hear this story and it is not an easy read.
~Emma
Read it or Weep 