I KNEW This Day Would Come

It took this long, but The Mother has finally and literally made me sick. That is the only explanation for the way I've been feeling since we left from The Father's party. When we got home yesterday, I changed my clothes, climbed into the couch, and passed out for 9 hours--and I HADN'T even had any booze! I got up for a few hours and then went back to sleep for another 5 hours. Still, I'm not feeling 100%. The thing is, I have quite non-specific symptoms: tired, stomach a bit upset, and that's about all. I'm hoping I'll feel better tomorrow.

While the whole party-thing could have been worse, it still wasn't as okay as I thought it would be. Friday night, we went to The Parent's house to bring The Father's gift and see if A and her husband wanted to go out to eat dinner. Of course The Mother was in fine form. The first thing she did was go on and on about how "very, very horribly thin" my hair is. Granted, it ISN'T what it used to be, but MUST she keep at it every time I see her? You know, I AM older, I HAVE gone through menopause--MANY years ago--and I DO have thyroid problems. Also, genetics and the various meds I happen to be using play a part, too, so why does she do this to me all of the time? It gets old very fast.

Now, I know everyone will think I'm just being paranoid, but don't forget that I have been privy to the inner workings of this woman's mind for most of my life--this is why I KNOW what she was doing with the next incident. Being Halloween, kids were trick-or-treating while we were there. One of The Niece's friends came with her kids and The Mother started: "J. Look at the amount of weight you have lost. You are SO thin. My goodness, I can't get over how tiny you are. You have lost so much weight, I can't believe it." And on and on. The poor girl looked SO embarrassed. The tone of voice that The Mother used, the way she said things, the things she said, were all directed at me in a not-so-subtle way of telling me that I have gained weight. (I know, I know--paranoid.) But, I could have overlooked this if not for what went on the following day.

After checking out of the hotel, K and I had a couple of hours to kill, so we went to visit with his sister. We quickly found out that she had NO idea that there was a party for The Father and I realized she had not been invited. I mentioned this fact to my girls when I got to the party and they were appalled at the mistake--and wanted to know why I didn't invite her. I ABSOLUTELY wouldn't invite someone without being specifically told to, so I waited to talk to The Mother. When I told her that my s-i-l wasn't invited, her response was, "I KNOW that. WHY should she be invited when she never comes over?!?!" And then she walked away. Excuse me--they have known my s-i-l for over 35 years. She has been a part of their lives ever since I started going with K, so how could she just be ignored? The Woman just really, really showed how petty and vindictive she can be. This is so embarrassing for me.

Finally, the party began and once more The Mother had to have her time in the spotlight--and this wasn't even HER party! She asked their pastor if he would say a few words about The Father and his sister before things began. The pastor started by saying, "E (The Mother) asked if I would say a few words. I don't know R (The Father's sister) as well as I know B (The Father), but if she is anything like her brother..." and it all went downhill from there. I don't think any more was said about my aunt--and how could he, he isn't HER pastor and he had never met the lady before. Thank goodness (?) my aunt wasn't doing too well and probably didn't even notice what was going on. As I said, The Mother got her time to shine when the pastor said, "B isn't one to ever say 'no' when asked to do a favor for someone. That is unless it is E doing the asking!" (ha, ha, ho, ho--everybody laugh) "You didn't think I would actually tell that to anyone, did you?" (ha, ha, ho, ho--everybody laugh)" So, even though this party had nothing to do with her, she got to be number one again--as usual. After all, it IS all about her.

And that is the story of the party. I am just happy it is over and I don't have to see these people again for a long, long time--hopefully.