Something I Never Knew

[poliphilo]

Mike tells me something he got from my mother- that my father was disappointed that I didn't follow him into his business.

I never knew that.

Well, John, I forgave you a while back, but if you'd even so much as hinted you wanted me in there with you- if you'd even so much as acknowledged my existence and talked to me sometimes- the way I understand other fathers and sons talk- I'd probably have adored you and wanted nothing more than to turn the company into John G**** and Son. I'd not have been any kind of a salesman or engineer, but I'd have been able to add lateral thinking to the mix and better man-management skills than you ever had.

Well, it's all done and dusted long ago and things turned out the way they did and we hated one another for the best part of fifty years but not any longer- and I'm happy in my bohemian lifestyle and the company no longer exists.

Silly old ghost!

Comments

I am sorry

[mtl.livejournal.com]

for this, it is a pity!

Ah well.

Re: I am sorry

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Time is the great healer. :)

[beentothemoon.livejournal.com]

funny, I thought the UK was west of Eden. I'm glad you're happy.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You keep going west and the islands of the bles are always beyond the next stretch of water

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

A ghost, indeed! And a salvo from the Beyond!

...done and dusted long ago--I'm glad. Trying to shape yourself to fit into a stultifying career in order to please your non-pleasable (I assume) father could have been catastrophic for you.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's odd; I had a vision this morning of the person I might have been- a Surrey businessman with a golf handicap. Would I have been miserable? God knows.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

so- i think that this was said by granny- but its confusing. i actually assumed that this was how you felt anyway- and was a bit surprised when you said it wasn't. i'd kind of thought this was the whole reason he was weird with you the way he was, and the reason you were off with him the way you were. cos he wanted you to be more like him, but you turned out different. he was numbers and logistics and that stuff, and maybe when he saw you were interested in that stuff, probably from the time you were just a baby, y'know, he thought- he ain't gonna be the one to run this company. hence bad feelings for a lifetime.
but, like i say, it's confusing. perhaps you'll talk to granny and it'll seem different first hand.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Who knows? It's all such a long time ago- and I don't know what is true memory and what is false memory. I think he was crippled with anxiety and all wrapped up in himself and just didn't have any energy to spare for his children (or grand-children.)

I read the story. It's one of you best. And you've sold it? Nice one!