Another of the soundtracks to my youth was Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Trial by Jury.' My father wanted to sing 'The Judges Song' at a Law Society bash, so I was tasked with transcribing the lyrics . Kids these days have no idea how easy their lives are:)
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I never heard of this opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. I think it may be more popular in Britain. Just listened to a piece of it...the music didn't move me. Then I read the lyrics of the song and it I guess is applicable for all times and all places. Funny, of course. You poor dear. How old were you? And why couldn't he do it himself???
Around ten or eleven I think. My father didn't do anything himself. He got volunteers to do it. "I want two volunteers", he used to say, "you and you!"
It seems to me he must have been challenging to live with, and yet you seem to have learned a lot from him.
If my father said, "You", to me, I'd look for an escape route and run. I wouldn't stop until I was sure he couldn't catch up. I'd figure, the next time he saw me, weeks would have passed, so he'd never remember. I actually did that once--I ran-- and was amazed when he remembered what happened weeks later. He wasn't angry. He apologized (because he'd actually gotten a couple of licks in before I slipped out). Would he have apologized if he'd caught me and beaten me? I don't know. Maybe he admired my chutzpah.
I think you could write a character sketch about your father. A lot of interesting stuff comes out even with the drunkenness you describe.
We were fortunate in that my father never raised a hand to us, though he did beat my mother. My brother and I ran away a few times... but nobody noticed:)
!!!!
☻ Some people are just not cut out to be parents.