So I’m cleaning out my office and I find a draft of an email that my boss may or may not have sent. The context makes it pretty clear what’s going on: Cousin emailed asking for a family tree, boss doesn’t like the cunt. (This may be a fairly inappropriate thing to do, but my boss always says he “has no secrets,” and as this little policy of his causes great distress in MY life, I think it’s actually justified. Generously edited for content and to protect the identities of those mentioned.)
To [presumably] a cousin:
Dear —–,
It is so odd to hear from you as you showed so little interest in my mother after my father’s death, and even in my father when he was alive, despite years of attention he gave his sister –– your mother –– that I was dumbfounded. Perhaps age has made you think of family, but I don’t at all mind saying that both my mother and father were very hurt by what you probably never gave a thought to i.e. family [awkward wording.]
Also during my 20 years running —- in London, you must have been in London sometimes –– I was in Cambridge only once and saw you with my daughter–– and during all those times in London you made no effort whatsoever to see me and my daughter.
Never mind, live moves on. [sic]
Regarding your request regarding the —– family tree, there is no such thing. There is a —– family tree, but that’s not your family; that’s my mother’s side. And as you weren’t very interested in the —— until apparently just now, you could hardly be interested in the ——. Having said the above, I did some extraordinary research into the —— and know a whole lot. I went to Brazil to track down those Luxenburgers who escaped there and went to Grevenmacher to visit your mother’s relatives there; I did this several times and am in touch with them. I went to Bossum for family reunions which take place every five years, and on and on…
So I know a great deal including other connections that —— and —— had with people here in New York. Undso Weiter [sic]. Your inquiry was as brief and as short I remember you being, you and —- having no family feeling whatsoever. There’s not even an inquiry in your letter after all these years about how anyone is.
I’m sure you’re prospering. The few times I met you I could see that [w]as all you were interested in [sic]. I also missed any sign of your interest in a cultural life, just real estate and making money.
You thoroughly deserve this letter. What could you expect from the perfunctory letter you sent after all these years? You don’t even deserve this response.
However, if you have any particular questions, since I spent so much time informing myself of our background and what they all went through, I will of course answer you.
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