This week my brother turned 49, and I went to a dinner party at his girlfriend Terry's home to celebrate this event. My niece showed up in a bucket of tears, as when my brother went to pick her up (she would not come to wish him happy birthday unless he picked her up from her mother's and took her back home) she unveiled her new 8 inch tattoo on her lower back. My brother, who has managed paving crews thinks tattoos indicate time spent in jail and the ride over obviously did not go well.
Brian was out playing basketball with the neighborhood kids so he missed my niece's dramatic entrance into Terry's home. I thank GOD that I have a son and not a daughter. She informs me that she is 18, and is expressing herself and plans on three more. "Then why are you sobbing?" I think as she buries her sobbing tears into my mother's open arms. Obviously the ride over was a fight. And why does my 78 year old mother have to see this? Does this girl have no respect for her grandmother? I want a martini and a limo ride home.
Self expression is all well and good, but I do not think she is expressing anything but a cry for attention. LIKE ME PLEASE LOVE ME PLEASE LIKE ME NOW as she stands before me about 95 pounds soaking wet, pale skin and enough earrings to cover half of California. She forgets that I was once a model, an A student and have oh so been there done that. I wanted to smack her for presenting her tattoo to my brother as a birthday gift. But alas, she is not my kid. She is the product of parents who put their own happiness and life ahead of their children. Psychiatrists say (like when in a descending plane) "to put on your own air mask and then your child's." Sometimes I think psychiatrists are full of shit.
I realize in divorce there are anger issues and I realize that people get hurt - especially kids. But someone has to talk about the elephant sitting in the living room and my niece is slowly disappearing with great flamboyantcy right before our eyes. I have loved this girl from the minute she came into this world, but she doesn't want to hear it from me. This is all about her mom and dad. I think anorexia is a woman's wish to disappear while everyone is watching. My niece ate three green beans for dinner. My son ate three ribs, a salad, two rolls, pasta, two glasses of milk and belched how great the dinner was before asking what was for dessert. I smiled, as I think men will always win in the world as long as they eat and women don't.
Enter my beginning to the week. Family drama, sore muscles, and a big ole blister. HA!
Monday dances in with Stephanie inviting me out to tea, Brian wanting a breakfast Starbuck's with hot chocolate and a share of the comic section of the paper, and my x husband finds a doctor that does a call in conference call for my disease. Boy, does he want me to hurry up and support him again or what? (*Wink*) My feisty self is coming back I can see by my bitching here. Janice sends me an invite to a girl's PJ party in April for a handbag designer that is about to make the talk show curcit from here. Little changes...little changes. I catch my first cold in a year.
Wednesday we have a "conference" with Brian's principal, teacher, and "team". When kids have 'learning differences' they get a "team" at school. Having a team doesn't change getting the school system to do what they are suppose to do, but they feel good that they have a 'team'. My x husband has already asked me, "Are you going to be nice?" (laugh). Depends on what the 'team' says. And I AM ALWAYS NICE. (laughing and laughing).
There are some other things brewing with me, but I will write more about it as it unfolds.
Until next time-
C
