TERROR OF THE EARTH

When our wonderful Spitfire Anna was younger she had such a temper on her ... Steph and I would run for cover. 

My darling would send herself into tears of shaking unrequited rage ...

One evening Steph and I were reading aloud together - we did that, poems, passages, soul bonding - and I was taking Lear and came to this passage and giggled and asked, "Remind you of anyone?"

Of course it did.

A few nights later, La Tempestua had cause to rage against her useless parents and I couldnt stop smiling, sending her into further paroxysms of fury.

"Darling, I dont mean to laugh but you remind me of Act 2, scene 4 of Shakespeare's King Lear, and with that I reached for my Skivertex-bound volume and found the passage:    

"I will have such revenges on you both
That all the world shall—I will do such things—
What they are yet I know not, but they shall be
The terrors of the earth. You think I’ll weep?
No, I’ll not weep."

Boy, her narrow-eyed look of suspicion, plus her silken cheeks were still hot and damp with tears of rage.

"Do you see here, sweetie? Shakespeare has absolutely nailed it: this is what real anger is like, not a smooth flow of  carefully prepared words but stumbling, coming back on itself, soo furious that Lear hasn't even worked out how to get it right, what he wants to say ... Mom! Dad!! I'm likely totally pissed ... you ... you ... I'm gonna, I dont know what I'm gonna ... I'm like ... aarghh!! ... you ... you just better watch out!!"

Stephanie was clutching a cushion to damp the giggles but lowered it to deliver in her low Texan drawl, "Hate to say it, but you got it."

Anna had regained her breathing and was looking over my shoulder, "That's Shakespeare? Whoa, like cool." 

Ever after, come any eruption, it'd be: "Dad! Like ... like ..."

'Like King Lear?'
"Right!"
'Steph? Best stay clear of the kitchen, we've got an Act 2 situation ...'
Gotcha.

When she came out and we were dining together and the next table was having a screaming match, flailing arms, full Monty, Anna whispered, "Dad! Act 2." 

I guffawed. "Sweetie, Greece is an Act 2." 

Magnifique performance: chairs pushed back and then regained; flashing eyes heaving bosoms [much on display]; full Thesaurus of oathings and turning to the audience for support, the men twirling with heaven-raised eyeballs, the wimmin supportive sisterly glowers. Oh poh poh. 

I winked at Anna, "Oh, man! Great sex tonight!"

Da-ad!