I finally connected the dots. My childhood home was always filled with arguments. Things would get nasty and sometimes things would calm down temporarily. It never lasted for long. My grandmother used to say that when we sit down for dinner, the devil does a little dance in the middle of the dinner table. I remember the cranberry fights they had once, throwing cranberry sauce at each other.

The fights were usually about money and they were very upsetting to me. My sister said she saw a dark, shadowy figure near our bed (I shared a room with her at the time.) I at first thought she was just imagining things but now I am not so sure. My father was a heavy drinker as well.

The situation reached a head when my sister told me that Dad was sexually abusing our aunt, who was retarded. She couldn't make him stop so I told my mother, who said she would talk to him. For a long time I couldn't stand to be in the same room with him because of the evil look he would have on his face. He would chase me out of the kitchen because he would then be alone with his victim. It was just the evil, nasty, sick look he had on his face.

I was happy to get out of that house when I got married. My father did not like my husband, but in the long run, my husband saved my life when I became ill.

My father did not seem to like me very much either. I just think there was something pretty strange because the family was so disfunctional. There was simply no peace. What do you think?