I was aware of the seemingly minor discrepancies that have popped up between my momâs and auntâs stories about trivial things at first â but increasingly, these slight alterations in the ways that they perceive things have grown into regular spats between them. I feel like a small child again, stuck between my mom and dad when they argued and said awful things about each other. But now my mom is my dadâs role and my aunt is in my momâs. My dad and aunt are both âby the bookâ people; each being a law-abiding citizen and tax-paying voter. My momâŚwell my mom is just my momâŚsheâs not into any category by itself, sheâs too much of a social butterfly (or used to be) to sit still very for long.
My aunt used to be an ICU nurse, years ago when I was young, before becoming an attorney on the County Counsel; she married well (in terms of security and stability, at least â heâs a jar-head and also a retired lawyer) I think when they are alone, they hardly ever say a word to each other. She loves basketball (being 5â11â, long and lean with legs to stop traffic, even at her age), loves good food and wine, and fosters a rather warped (though rich) sense of humor.
My mom used to move furniture with her (soon-to-be EX) husband, cross-country for decades. We all know the horrible story of her choice in a mate, so she is currently alone. My poor mom is newly homeless, jobless, dying of cancer in one hospital setting after the next with the same three (sometimes five or six) faces hovering around her constantly; mama told me yesterday that she feels helpless and hopeless â like the thorn in the foot.
It was at the wrapping up of such a discouraged conversation, as I folded the paperwork pertaining to her life insurance policy and her bank account back into my purse to mail off on Tuesday, that I turned around to see my stepdad in the doorway of her room, standing with his eyes on the floor in total submission, almost as if he were kneeling at the chopping block already.
Apparently, since my visit to him, he found the balls (although, too late to make any difference) to eradicate my offspring from his residence âfor goodâ, so he claimed.
It became obvious to me within a matter of minutes that they he and my mom have been in contact quite recently, as she had no issue with him pulling up a chair to her bed and sitting with her.
The things he came there for were 1) brought with him certain pieces of mail that mama has been worrying over; 2) told her that he doubled his own life insurance policy since he has no known medical conditions; lastly, but most shockingly and painfully, he announced,
âBoo is out of my life for good.â
(I say âpainfullyâ because it was obviously a painful reality for him as he said it to her).
It was at that point that, despite my threats against his life if he came near her, I opted to leave and give them some time once I received the nod and wink from mama. I didnât want to listen to any of the unhealthy bullshit that they have both grown accustomed to over the time that Boo has been pirating theirâ (former) household and lives. I didnât want to listen to my stepdad (my former karate sensei from the summer between kindergarten and first grade thatâs been part of momâs tribe ever since) talk about planning his own suicide due to the irreversibly damaging choices heâs made for both of them since her diagnosis. And maybe seeing him all broken down and with his bottom lip quivering like that will give my mom some sense of something, after all â who knows?
When my Aunt hears of this, she will lose her gods damned mind and be very angry with me for NOT making my stepdad leave immediately; but that wasn’t what my mom wanted at the time and she is a grown and lucid (for now at least) woman still, isn’t she?
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