Minda 3

Ms Shapiro smiles, "we're a bit short on childhood details. Please just give me a quick summary and then I'll know where to get started."
"Yes ma'am, I grew up in an above income family, but not rich. The #1 factor would be my father."
She nods, encouragingly.
"To say egotistical, pompous and self-important would be an understatement, ma'am. Think of an analogy, George Bush with an ego as big as all Texas, with bits of Ghengis Khan grafted on."
We both laugh.
"He was 100% bound and determined he would only finance post secondary if I did the exact same as he, ma'am."
"What were your feelings on that?"
"I knew it would be a dead waste of four years of my life ma'am. No real talent nor even one iota of interest."
"So, how did your mother react to this?"
"She was very pragmatic and also anti-artsy, ma'am. Felt they should fund anything practical and marketable, whether university or tech. However, he had power of veto, controlling the purse strings."
"So, what did you do?"
"A year above the Arctic Circle. Came back with so much money, I only needed a bit of part time work, ma'am."
"So you might say, whether your father liked the results or not, he passed on numerous traits. An utter determination once you get in motion. A refusal to let others get in your way. A very self defined personality. A driving need for achievement."
I feel shaken, she's hit the target dead center. Maybe not as nuts as I took her for. I nod, uncertainly.
She backs off, rest of the session is easy stuff on high school academics.