So My Fucking Father looked like he was in one of his goddamn moods again.  There is a reclining chair right next to the dining room table.  Oftentimes when he hurt himself at work or he's tired or he just wants to be a needy prick, he'll get up from his chair at the dining room table, move over three feet, sit his ass in the recliner, and close his eyes.  And he closes his eyes tightly, like he's afraid someone's going to open them an pour acid in them.  Whenever he does that I know he's copping his preening, accusatory, bullying attitude.

He did this tonight.  I don't know why, but I sure as fuck wasn't going to ask how his day was.  I do my best to avoid him regardless, but today I really had to walk on eggshells around him.  Sadly, my Mother asked me to send birthday wishes to my sister, and I haven't told my parents about the laptop I bought yet, so I went downstairs, where my dad (I thought) was sleeping.

Before I wrote an e-mail to my sis I read an e-mail from my sis asking me to tell the 'Rents that she tried to call home today (apparently she's forgiven My Fucking Father for telling her he was dead, though I still think she needs to never let him forget that stupid comment).  I chased my mom to the downstairs fridge, but it was my dad, and since she's dead to him -- or is that the other way around -- I decided not to go to the master bedroom, where my mom actually was.

I guess my father thought this was his in to talk to me, so after using the bathroom he knocked on the computer room door and asked me to mow the lawn tomorrow.  In particular, he asked me to get as much of the tall grass around the gutter:

"You can pick up the gutter and move it around so you can mow the grass around it."

"I can?"

"Yes!"

"OK."

(pause; I thought he was done)

"You know, the gutter outside with the long black thing with the hole and ..."

"I know."  And I swear to fucking Buddha I didn't say that in a snippy way.  I didn't say it like my parents do; I've learned not to.  But My Fucking Father immediately turns and walks away like I offended him or something.  He pulls this hypersensitive bullshit sometimes, too.

So I have to wonder if he's going to get back at me.  There might be rain tomorrow, but otherwise I think he expects me to mow the lawn.  I didn't tell him that I don't plan on doing it because I have a) a paid taste test and b) a master gardener clinic that will tell me how to prune a houseplant in the house to go to tomorrow.  Hell, I don't plan on doing it till the weekend.  Will he take me not doing that as willful insubordination?

And that's the thing with him.  It's been about seven hours after this incident, and I'm still thinking about it.  In fact, I think I have to smooth things over by calling him tomorrow and giving him quotes of stocks he's interested in.  If that's not manipulation, I don't know what is.

Or maybe it's me.