Triple whammy

Yesterday—that would be Sunday, June 16—was, as the title of this post suggests, triply momentous:

1) It was my second Father’s Day without Dad. While I understand the point of those Instagram posts gently wishing Happy Mother’s/Father’s Day to people who’ve lost parents, they make me irrationally angry. You think because I’ve lost my parents I don’t want you to celebrate yours? You must either believe my grief has made me a selfish monster, or that I’m pathetically fragile.

I realize the posts are just trying to be nice, but they give me the same ick as “your parents are in a better place now.” Please go about your normal Father’s Day and treat me as you would treat any other human!

2) It was the four-year anniversary of my mom’s death. I’ve decided that on their deathiversaries, I’m going to share a memory here. Let’s see…

When I turned 18, my birthday was on a Thursday. I came downstairs to eat breakfast before school, and my mom said: “You’re not going to school.” She had booked a surprise trip to New York City, where we met up with my aunt and cousin for a Broadway extravaganza: Sweeney Todd featuring Patti LuPone, The Odd Couple featuring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and Avenue Q, which was extremely awkward to watch with a parent but still very funny. I don’t want to think about how much she must have spent.

Here’s a picture of us trying and failing to get into a Saturday Night Live dress rehearsal. Mom on the left, her sister Tracey in the middle, and me, of course, on the right. Skinny scarves were all the rage in 2006.

3) It was the final day before the deadline for the first draft of my book. I whiled away the hours reading and writing about my parents, which seems appropriate. There wouldn’t be a book without them—or with them, as it were. I wish they could read it.

I turned it into my editor at around 11 p.m. Now we wait! This first pass is only for big edits in structure and tone. I still have plenty of research and interviews to do during the latter half of the year. And I may need your help with that, dear reader. I’ll let you know.