Summary

This chapter's opening dream sequence has Bechdel's therapist, Carol, show up at her office, give her a massage, and take her pants home for mending. This makes her recall her mother's use of patches often to fix holes.

This dream sets the stage for her segue into her mother's past. She was an actress who used to pal around with Dom Deluise back in the day. She spent days creating costumes for plays, such as “The Sound of Music.” She gave all that up to be a wife and mother. She had met Bechdel's father during a production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” While Bechdel's mother cooed over her two younger brothers, Bechdel says her mother wasn't that nurturing to her. They were more professional with each other, speaking to each other in more sophisticated tones.

Bechdel also feels that she is taking...