Family update
So, called mom to see how my brother's surgery went, because I'm a Bigger Person than he is. His diseased, gallstone-free gall bladder has been safely removed, so hopefully he'll be able to go back to his shit job after 6 weeks of no work. While his wife is preggers with child #5. Yoy.
After that, mom wanted to talk politics. I tried for a few minutes, but emboldened by her success on a fairly neutral political topic (infrastruture repair) she decided to go for the big guns: education and abortion.
"Obama may not be the education president but he SURE IS THE ABORTION PRESIDENT!"
I replied "this is not a topic I wish to discuss. We will not agree, and all it will do is frustrate us both."
She went off about abortion being Evil and Wrong and KILLING BABIES!!!
I replied "this is not a topic I wish to discuss. We will not agree, and all it will do is frustrate us both."
She said she hopes that if I ever pray again that God will enlighten me.
I replied "How do you know I don't pray? How do you know that God tells me is going to be the same thing he tells you? We are all here for a different purpose."
Silly me.
BECAUSE SHE HAS A CORNER MARKET ON THE TRUTH (TM) DON'CHA KNOW? (Funny, I thought the Jehovah's Witnesses had the corner on the Truth... but I digress.)
Finally I went back to my mantra above until the silences got LOOOOONG and AWWWWKWWWWARD. I did not fill them with idle chatter. I refuse to play her silly little game.
Finally she did the "I'll talk to you soon, have a good week and GOD BLESS!"
I said "Bye" and hung up.
Y'know. I've been on my own well over half my life now. Any hope she had of moulding me to her will has long since passed. It's no longer quite so infuriating that she tries, but I'm humming the "Cruelle De Vil" tune in my head.
The only reason she's getting all weird again is because it's dawned on her that if my brother dies, I'm the only child left and we have no relationship whatsoever. She can't accept me as an adult, so it is her God-Given Christian Soldier Duty to drag this (never been a) sheep back to the fold. Ain't gonna happen. I'm much more Wolf than Sheep any day of the week, and twice on Sunday ;)
I just wish Dad would outlive her. If my brother dies, I don't expect either of them to last more than 3 years. Dad will go first - he didn't take losing his baby sister well, and losing his only son will kill him. Losing me wouldn't be nearly as painful, they "lost" me years ago. They've probably already come to terms that I will not be with them on their reserved cloud in Heaven (little do they realize my version of the Afterlife bwahahaahahaaaa!) so losing their "good" child will break both their hearts. Especially when I don't weep at the funeral. I'll go to play the charming hostess who thanks everyone for coming on behalf of the Family. I expect the kids to end up in Denmark with their mother, and my mom will be left with only me, who will probably change my phone number or move with no forwarding address.