In Spite of Us — A Love Story about Second Chances
Preview our reader’s favorite chapter
--
The following is an excerpt from our book, “In Spite of Us — A Love Story about Second Chances. Our story is written in dual perspectives with odd chapters in my voice, and even chapters in his. This particular chapter is written from my husband’s perspective. Our readers say it’s one of the favorites because they can relate to the comedic charades common in families with addiction issues. That’s most of us, right?
I hope you enjoy reading what it was like for my husband to meet my family for the first time.
Chapter 14
Bet He’s Never Seen Anything Like It
(Sandy)
Chapter 14
Bet He’s Never Seen Anything Like It
(Sandy)
After tedious hours of prep and quizzing by professor Deb, I’m ready to meet the parents. The door opens. I’m drawn into the land of the McFarlands, a place I believed existed mostly in Deb’s exaggerated imagination. Dema greets us at the door with a hearty, genuine hug. I’m confused because she’s dressed like we’re going to a black-tie event and my only instructions were to wear a real shirt with no funny saying on it. She’s all sparkly with sequins and jewels, the infamous auburn hair and makeup done to perfection. I feel better seeing Mac stretched out on his recliner, dressed like a 1950s cowpoke.
The twelve-by-twelve-foot living room is furnished for a room three times its size, so you have to cross the room walking sideways. Greetings barely obliged, Dema presses start on a VHS tape she had paused and ready for us since we left Yakima. The sixty-inch projection television can only be seen from the two recliners placed directly in front where Mac and Dema sit, both armed with a stack of remotes. Deb and I sit on the orange velvet love seat, knees sideways so we don’t knock over the glass table in front.
For the next hour, we watch news clips recorded from all three major television networks. Deb warned me this might happen; to which my reply was, “No, they wouldn’t do that.” After this, I will not question Deb’s facts. The newscasts escalate from a missing person to…
