I came home one day and saw my father  in the dining room, looking at the walls. He had removed all the pictures from the largest/amplest wall and tacked to it a bunch of sheets of paper. At first sight, it  looked like a scene straight out of a crime movie, when the police are investigating a murder involving many people.

"Hey, Dad. What are you doing? What is this?"

"My grocery list," my father answered,  winking at me. "You tell me... What do you think it is?"

"The new  Chicago Bulls lineup?" I answered, jokingly.

"Close, it's our family tree."

I turned my head and stared at the sheets on the wall.

"Who's this Doris?" I asked.

"She was  your maternal great-grandmother, that is, your mother's mother’s mother."

“Oh, I had no idea we had  a Doris in our family...”

"And do you know who this one is?"

 "Her husband, maybe?" I said, clueless.

"No, he's your maternal grand uncle, that is, your mother's mother's brother."

"What was his name?"

"Leopold."

"Sounds like the name of a king." I said, surprised.

"Not really, he was a womanizer and a  good-for-nothing bum.. He never had children, so  I put him on the outer part."

Reading all those unfamiliar names on the wall, I realized  I knew nothing   about my own family.

"And  who's this ...'Tallulla'? I asked, straining to read what it said.

My father stopped to think for a few seconds.

"Ah, that's  my father's great aunt, that is, my father's mother's father's sister."

"And what about me? Where did you put me?"

"You're this one," my father said, pointing out a yellow post-it at the bottom.

"Don't tell me. I know who I am!"

"Of course you do..." my father said, chuckling.

"I'm your wife's mother- in- law's grandson, that is, your son."

"Attaboy!"

"By the way, Dad, does Mom know that you're messing around with her paintings?"

"I don't think so. She'll be home from work soon, so hurry up and help me put the paintings back in place before she gets home."