Submitted to: Contest #306

Recipe for WOW: Writing Off Wounds

Written in response to: "Write a story in the form of a recipe, menu, grocery list, or product description."

Contemporary Creative Nonfiction Drama

Recipe For WOW: Writing Off Wounds

Family wounds cut deep. If not treated they fester and may never heal. How are these wounds created and how can they ever hope to be written off and forgotten? Here is an old family recipe not recommended to be followed:

Start with an elderly man, not quite at his expiration date, finely aged to the point of crotchety. Make sure he is left alone a lot to pursue his own interests. These interests usually involve tinkering with his antique vehicles. Best if he has been neglecting his health.

Stir in plenty of grief, disappointments and anger in general at the world.

Combine with a somewhat selfish daughter raised supposedly with sugar and spice but unfortunately not much nice. There may well be unknown extenuating circumstances premixed. Exactly what had her childhood been like? Because the wife is gone and another daughter has passed away, she becomes the best choice to be appointed executive of her father's meager estate with all power of attorney. After all she has working knowledge as an advocate for elder rights and her son is an attorney.

Pepper in various other freeze-dried relatives not really capable of making a difference.

Three sisters duly concerned but one passes away prematurely and one has the onset of dementia. That leaves one hovering to be of assistance however necessary. And willingly offers help.

Also, one half-forgotten half brother, fifteen years his junior and two-hundred and fifty miles away. He becomes the control factor. Everyone looks to him to solve everything.

Now add the drama. Pop suddenly gets sick and needs surgery. Doctors agree the prognosis is not too good. He spends a long time in the hospital.

Stir the pot. Pop's landlord wants the use of the apartment for a family member. It is still questionable whether he will survive. Let the pot boil over as the landlord suddenly passes away and the place needs to be cleared out.

Daughter-dear announces she will have a yard sale on such and such day. Sister offers to help. When sister arrives she finds everything has been sold or given away the week before the given date. All his clothes including cherished homemade vests given to him by friends during his biking days are gone. She has sold all eight of his vehicles most in some stage of restoration. One had a special air cleaner atop it that was designed by a diseased friend. She did manage to take his 60-inch TV to her own basement.

Add in the element of surprise. Pop recovers enough to go to a nursing home. He should have money from his bank account or the sale of these vehicles to put towards his care but there is none there. He has need of his birth certificate and other legal papers. Nothing can be found other than a will that left all to daughter. He can't remember writing that will. All family photos have been discarded.

Simmer on hold until the anger turns cold.

Instead of turning cold it sautes as Pop regains strength and passions flare up again. Something must be done as she has cheated him out of all his life savings and personal treasures. He turns to his younger half-brother expecting him to start proceedings to see to it she answers for her misdeeds.

Turn the heat up higher. Daughter threatens to never let him see his great-grand children again if she is brought up on charges.

Brother turns to state to see what should be done. State decides should be overlooked and dropped. They don't want to bring charges against her.

He talks Pop down from the pinnacle. Families are expected to forgive one another. She thought he was going to die. She didn't have time or know what else to do. (She should have had money for a storage unit. Incidentally, when her sister was ill, she took a trip with insurance money. But she deserved that for everything she did, right?)

Toss in more complications. Looking into other avenues Brother discovers she has violated laws and if convicted she could serve time and her son would lose his attorney privileges. Does Pop want to hurt his grandson, too? Has she hurt other people too in her position of advocate? Surely she knows all the ends and outs. Is she trying to get back at her dad for something he has done?

Proof is in the pudding. At one point she forbade the nursing home to give out any information to sister or brother. Eventually she turns power of attorney for his health over to his sister. Brother takes over banking.

Pop shares a room with a long time resident that has claimed three-quarters of the room for himself. Pop yearns for his own place once more. He has fully recovered and put on weight but feels he has little to live for. His only surviving daughter mistreated his trust in her. He does not have a good relationship with his grandson so doesn't get to see his great-grandchildren. Anything he ever cherished is gone. He wants to be out tinkering in a garage once more.

Sister has offered him to come live with her but she has a husband that would probably soon tire of that. Same with Brother that has a wife who would struggle eventually. He also questions Pop's mental health. Signs of dementia are starting to show. The place where he is is probably the best place for him.

Add the topping. Daughter has announced she is leaving the state with no forwarding address. She claims she has no way of getting his big TV back to him or anyone else. Pop went out for his walk a few days ago and when he came back there was a package on his bed. Inside was his birth certificate, a few photos and other mementos and the mysteriously disappearing air cleaner. He wants to mount it above his headboard. Hopefully it won't fall on his head and kill him.

Posted Jun 13, 2025
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38 likes 43 comments

Sandra Moody
20:30 Jun 26, 2025

Another amazing story-- so close to home for many. Thanks for sharing.

Reply

Mary Bendickson
22:18 Jun 26, 2025

Yes it happens a lot unfortunately. Thanks gor reading and commenting. Think this whole thing has been resolved as much as it ever will be.

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Helen A Howard
19:55 Jun 26, 2025

Great approach to this prompt.
“Pepper in various other freeze-dried relatives…”
Enjoyed the word building.
Really got an impression of the characters.
Well done.

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Mary Bendickson
22:13 Jun 26, 2025

Thanks for liking and commenting on both my stories this week.

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Helen A Howard
05:52 Jun 27, 2025

I wish I could spend more time reading but struggle to fit any more in.

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Mary Bendickson
12:24 Jun 27, 2025

I understand. Same for me.

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Helen A Howard
12:32 Jun 27, 2025

You do a very good job of reading and getting to the heart of it with an apt comment.

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Mary Bendickson
13:03 Jun 27, 2025

Thanks. Usually say the first thing that pops to mind. Tried critique circle for a while but felt I cheated the writers because they wanted in depth analysis. Not so good at those cause never had any literary training.

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15:17 Jun 26, 2025

Love the cynical humorous style to this. Clever use of the prompt with this bitter sweet story of dysfunctional family!

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Mary Bendickson
16:02 Jun 26, 2025

Thanks for the clever comment.

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Cedar Barkwood
15:44 Jun 25, 2025

I loved the style of writing you used! The story was well-written and does a great job of tying to problematic families. Thanks for sharing!

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Mary Bendickson
17:44 Jun 25, 2025

Thank you

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Raz Shacham
06:00 Jun 24, 2025

If I may dare to dispute Tolstoy's premise—aren’t all unhappy families alike, too? I loved your use of the recipe format.

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Mary Bendickson
17:02 Jun 24, 2025

Thanks for sampling it.😄

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Jo Freitag
02:07 Jun 24, 2025

An effective recipe for family discord - so well told - and too often brewed by folks.

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Mary Bendickson
17:01 Jun 24, 2025

So true! Thanks for liking dispite the discord.😅

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Sarah Sharp
02:19 Jun 21, 2025

Great story, Mary! Really liked the way you used the recipe format to tell a story like this!

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Mary Bendickson
13:55 Jun 21, 2025

Thanks. Don't recommend repeat.

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Aeris Walker
22:56 Jun 20, 2025

"She did manage to take his 60-inch TV to her own basement."
Why is it always the TV??
People truly lose their minds and all sense of decorum when a family member passes away and there is money or stuff "up for grabs." I knew a woman who tried to run over her aunt--with her minivan --over a pig cooker...
The terrible twist of this story is the fact that Pop *survives* only to have to face his new ugly reality.

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Mary Bendickson
13:54 Jun 21, 2025

It has truly been dramatic or at least this family creates drama. Surprise this week Pop got someone to finally get the precious TV. Now says he has wiped his hands of her.

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Thomas Wetzel
21:11 Jun 19, 2025

So its not just my family?

Great story, Mary. Very engaging.

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Mary Bendickson
15:50 Jun 20, 2025

Thank you. Problems exist in most families

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Rebecca Hurst
17:14 Jun 18, 2025

Brilliant stuff, Mary.

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Mary Bendickson
12:34 Jun 19, 2025

Thank you.

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John Rutherford
12:33 Jun 18, 2025

Wow indeed!

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Mary Bendickson
14:24 Jun 18, 2025

Good comment. Thanks.😆

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Trudy Jas
20:53 Jun 17, 2025

A messy tale, a tough story to tell, even tougher to sit next to as history unfolds, I'm sure.
the recipe format worked well by allowing you to keep a little distance in the telling.
Well done.

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Mary Bendickson
21:03 Jun 17, 2025

Thanks.

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Rebecca Lewis
16:59 Jun 17, 2025

This works. It’s bitter, it’s sad, and it’s funny in a way that’s earned, not flippant. I'm glad you chose the recipe format for this one — it gives you a way to tell something messy without sounding like you’re just venting. That setup does a lot of work. It keeps things moving and lets you toss in details without needing full scenes. It also underlines how absurd and inevitable the whole situation feels — like once these ingredients were in the pot, it was going to go wrong no matter what. There’s real weight here. Even with the dark humor, you don’t lose sight of how painful this is — for Pop. His losses feel permanent. Not just the money and the stuff, but the trust. The sense that maybe his daughter never gave a damn. It’s unpolished in the right way — conversational, direct, no sugarcoating. You’re not pretending to be neutral, and that’s a strength. There’s a lot to admire here — because you’re not trying to make anyone look better than they were. It’s raw, it’s real, and you’re not hiding behind sentiment.

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Mary Bendickson
18:35 Jun 17, 2025

Thanks for your analysis. My husband has been stressing over this for long time. I finally decided to write about it.

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Rebecca Lewis
12:17 Jun 23, 2025

I can imagine how heavy that’s been for both of you. Writing it out like this was a smart way to process it — sometimes putting it into words gives a little bit of distance, or at least some kind of release. You handled a tough story with honesty and even a little grace. I hope it helped take some of the weight off.

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Mary Bendickson
16:39 Jun 23, 2025

Thanks and thanks for liking 'Keep My Word'.
You stories are always good.

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Linda Kaye
20:06 Jun 15, 2025

Very creative -sorry to see it’s creative non-fiction. Family. You can forgive a lot with family, but sometimes…
Well written, emotional recipe!

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Philip Ebuluofor
10:01 Jun 15, 2025

Get little confused on the recipe. I was expecting garbage, green and other tomatoes etc. Then mixtures.

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Mary Bendickson
12:31 Jun 15, 2025

Family mixed up.

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Marty B
23:29 Jun 14, 2025

A unique perspective on a recipe that is common among many families :(

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Mary Bendickson
01:09 Jun 15, 2025

Thanks for commenting.

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Ari Vovk
22:24 Jun 14, 2025

Gosh what a tale. The rule of threes in reverse.

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20:27 Jun 14, 2025

Very novel storytelling voice in this one Mary. I see this is based in reality... wow...that's....rough. your poor husband having to deal with all that...

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Mary Bendickson
20:42 Jun 14, 2025

He prays about it but it has been rough.
Thanks for likng and commenting.

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Ghost Writer
13:24 Jun 14, 2025

Ah, family, what can you do.

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Mary Bendickson
14:03 Jun 14, 2025

Worry from afar but keep getting pulled back in. My husband is the half-brother. Thanks for the empthy.

Reply

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