Big M wasn't the only narcissist in my house. My father is one too; I just never saw it until very recently – after an argument, actually. I also idolized my father growing up because I knew he was the smartest, the strongest, the most knowledgeable, the most capable, and the most loving person in my life. I KNEW that for a fact. My father is a master manipulator. He has this ability to make me feel guilty, shameful, and somehow responsible for the adults living in our house. I’ve listed a few such examples below.   1.   Guilt Trip Level: Master Set up: Picture your father looking very sad and disappointed and this expression is directed at you when he says “... but I got up early to make sure you had a good breakfast so you would have a great day at school .” Reality check : Never in my life was I ever a breakfast person. In fact, eating first thing in the morning always made me feel nauseated and I often felt sick all day. Jack knew full well I did not like to...

One day, I hear Maeve yelling and screaming then I hear the door slam shut and her locking it along with the dead bolt. She is a very large imposing woman who terrifies my sister and me. I feel like everyone who meets her is afraid of her, except others are lucky because they can leave while Roxanne, Jack, and I are trapped here. On this occasion, there is a man at the door and he is definitely not afraid of her. I can hear him yelling to “make sure you tell Jack, I run the upstairs and he can stay down here to collect the rent”. Turns out Maeve is not as brave as she seems, but as a kid, I did not know this. I interpreted her fear as annoyance. Mack Daddy had just been down to our apartment door to inform “us” that he is now running the upstairs; women, drugs, prison rules; “we” were to mind our business and collect the rent from Mack Daddy. Mack Daddy would collect the rent from all the other roomers and give Jack the amount he deemed appropriate. Jack was in the bush, of course be...

My father is not someone I would describe as a person with a strong work ethic, but rather a social butterfly who is allergic to real work; he spins his wheels trying to organise himself to complete the most basic of tasks. He enjoys his freedom and having absolutely no real responsibilities tied to a clock. Jack cannot be on time to save his life; in fact, he was 20 minutes late to his own father’s funeral. After living in this 7,000 square foot monstrosity of a rooming house, it became clear to Jack that this business did not actually run itself and needed daily attention. The “drunks” who lived upstairs regularly damaged the property, burnt holes in the bed sheets, clogged toilets, or ran the utilities unnecessarily.    With the rising costs of inflation, repairs, and mostly his quickly vanishing freedom, Jack and Big M brainstormed better and more sustainable business ideas. Big M had once worked at “The Villa”- a health care facility for seniors, the mentally challeng...