The Family Business

Last night my husband and I rented movies and ate Mexican food. It was quite the rowdy Friday night for us. As I was getting into bed I noticed that I had received a couple of text messages from my brother. The first one made reference to my blog and something about "binomial insurgency." The second said something like he expected me to answer him personally. My reaction? WTF?

I first had to look up "binomial" and "insurgency" just to be sure I knew what he was trying to convey. The last time I heard "binomial" used in a sentence it was binomial nomenclature and I was in 8th grade Algebra. Sure enough:

Binomial: bi·no·mi·al /[bahy-noh-mee-uhl]
–noun
1. Algebra. an expression that is a sum or difference of two terms, as 3x + 2y and x2 − 4x.
2. Zoology, Botany. a taxonomic name consisting of a generic and a specific term, used to designate species.

In·sur·gen·cy
Pronunciation: in-'s&r-j&n-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -cies
: the quality or state of being insurgent; specifically : a condition of revolt against a recognized government that does not reach the proportions of an organized revolutionary government and is not recognized as belligerency

Apparently I am a mathematical rebellion. Either that or a zoological disturbance.

Our texting back and forth finally led to a phone call. J was amused by this texting and decided to get in on the action and began to text my brother as well. My brother was just saying he was essentially just sending a message. Basically, Dad was hurt by my portrayal of him as a "monster" and that it had damaged his familial relations, but he couldn't elaborate specifically how that manifested. Huh.

My brother is a really good guy. I truly believe he was bridging family ties and he's been a peace keeper from the start. I did say that I have not talked with Dad directly and based on recent caporegime messages from both my brother and mom, I think that all I can do is deal with each relationship individually. I empathized with his predicament of being put in the middle and said that he could choose to remove himself as the middle man.

After we hung up, J and I talked. The more I discussed it with him the more I became aware of how our family operated. It was like the The Godfather. Family came first and you never betrayed the family. I guess I played the family consigliere until recently. Cooking was a huge place of bonding. Dad's lamb shank recipe could rival the Corleone's spaghetti sauce any day. And there were messages passed down from the Don (aka Dad). I'm not certain what I'd kiss considering Dad doesn't wear any rings. Perhaps his golf club?

Its not personal, its business. While I haven't had an offer I couldn't refuse or a dead horse head in my bed, I have decided to leave the guns and take the cannoli.