I’d like to ask my dad about the time he spent in Vietnam. He almost never talks about it, and he isn’t the kind of person that invites personal questions. I mean, I know he bought a camera there and a really nice ring, but that’s it.
I’d like to ask both of my parents what really happened when my mom had a miscarriage when I was a teenager. Again, not something you just bring up. They never went to the hospital, and I always wonder if they called the doctor who said they might as well stay home because there was nothing to be done, or if they just didn’t call because they already knew it was too late. Way too personal for my dad, and way too loaded for my mom.
Those are the big two. There are a lot of other things I’d like to ask my mom in particular, but it wouldn’t really be fair to her. She is a pathological liar, very selfish, and manipulative. I could ask her how old I was when I started to walk, and probably get a made up story. In defense of my dad, the one time I did ask him about something personal (during their divorce), we had a very good conversation. I don’t know if he’s as closed up as I think, or if I’m still just too intimidated by him.
And some day I will ask my dad if he really thought I “didn’t have the brains God gave a goose” when I was a kid. It was his favorite expression!