The news that Kelly’s emotionally abusive father is dying has unleashed a rage she’s kept caged for decades. Now loose, it claws uncontrollably at her co-workers, putting her job in jeopardy. Her boss gives her an ultimatum and she finds herself in the one place she swore she’d never be: therapy.
During five therapy sessions, Kelly relives the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sides of her father, sharing the abuse the women of her family have suffered at his hand. In therapy, Kelly learns that both she and her father most likely have autism. But while she acknowledges and apologizes for the pain her disability causes others, he never has.
As Kelly confronts the fury she’s suppressed for fifty-four years, she realizes that what she truly needs from her father is an apology. But he’s running out of time, and so is she. If she doesn’t work up the courage to confront him before he dies, her rage will break free of its thin chain and destroy her career.
Holding a grudge doesn’t make you strong; it makes you bitter.
Forgiving doesn’t make you weak; it sets you free.
– Dave Willis
This story was inspired by my father and the abuse my family and I endured at his hand. Its germination and birth has allowed me to finally accept the apology I never got.
Copyright © 2022 Kris Fiersten - All Rights Reserved.
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