That bit about Scylla and Charybdis…that was pure gold. The way Griffin saw it, Homer’s family life must have been about as fun-filled as his own because anytime he had to deal with both his mother and his father’s former mistress, that’s how he felt—like he was trapped with a horrible six-headed monster on one side and a treacherous whirlpool on the other. Was it any wonder he hadn’t wanted Sydney to accompany him through those particular straits? Even Odysseus lost good soldiers on that trip. Though Sharlene looked like a defenseless waif—much as his own mother did—Sharlene was strong. If Caro’s personality sometimes seemed as formidable as a six-headed monster’s, then Sharlene was the vortex that unwittingly sucked people in. At heart, Sharlene was nice, a rarity in his childhood, but good intentions hadn’t stopped her from creating countless problems and endless grief. He’d spent ten years of his life trapped between Scylla and Charybdis. When he was a kid, he’d actually preferred spending time with Sharlene.
