What was your scariest moment?

[no_hypocrisy]

3. I was accepted into law school. I was eligible for a scholarship.

But my father dissuaded me, saying he'd pay for the three years of tuition.

But I was also working at my father's office and had given notice as I was going to school.

And a kerfuffle between 2-3 coworkers turned into an office battle. And I managed not to get involved.

But my father was an authoritarian who used black-and-white thinking for problem-solving. And he took the side of the coworker at issue (who wasn't doing her job). The problem was the idle coworker had an ally who coordinated and filed Medicare forms (which was the bulk of the medical office's profits).

What happened to make it scary? First, my father ordered me to join him at a restaurant for dinner. I knew from past experiences that this wasn't going to be good. And it wasn't.

My father was in a hellish mood from the get-go. Halfway through the meal, he "explained" that because of me, the ally of the idle coworker threatened to quit if her buddy was fired. And that would leave him without a vital employee to file those Medicare claims. And that would mean that he'd have to retire early. And that would mean he wouldn't have the means to pay for my tuition. And it was all my fault.

Now, remember that I kept myself out of office politics, but that was irrelevant. Dad was on a roll. He pulled a Trump maneuver where I was being threatened without a direct threat. What was being put on the proverbial table was that 1) no law school, possibly ever, and 2) no job/no pay for domicile, necessities, transportation, etc. and 3) possible bankruptcy.

And it was my father!! And he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

And yeah, part of me was terrified at the prospect. And there he was, across the table, ordering coffee.

But as scared as I was (I think the ambush aspect heightened my terror), I also did a quick analysis. First, if I really wanted to become an attorney, get used to this. It's part of the profession. My adversary being my father was irrelevant. Second, I could always find another job. Third, I could re-apply to law school and get a scholarship. Fourth, my father painted himself into a corner: he'd have to explain why he suddenly and arbitrarily decided not to pay for law school (if not also for retribution). Fifth, he could be bluffing, and the idle coworker and her ally weren't going anywhere.

How I resolved the situation at the restaurant: I leaned back in my chair, got comfortable, took a sip of wine, put it down, and calmly responded to my father, "Well, I guess that's entirely up to you." He wasn't prepared for that. He harumphed and sputtered out, "You're damned right." Dinner ended quite abruptly as there was nothing left to say.

How it ended: Three weeks later, my father told me to pick up my check for the first semester of law school. The idle coworker and her ally stayed at the office after my departure for a number of years. My father retired 2-3 years after I graduated from law school.

Yeah, I was scared shitless, but I kept my rational side of my mind working. And I learned a lesson: You don't have to be literally brave when you're scared. You just have to act like you're brave. Nobody can tell the difference.