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Yesterday can die in a fire
So who wants to hear about my horrible, no good, very bad Saturday? Show of hands? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
You might remember that I asked for last week off from work. You might also remember that I did not get it off. Instead, I got Saturday off and Tuesday, along with my normal Sun/Mon combo off. Annnnnnd I should point out that unless someone messes with my schedule for some reason, I will literally not get another Saturday off until next year. Keep that in mind for this, will you? Also, I very, very rarely have plans. Actual legit plans that involve people I do not live with.
Widget, in a stunning move of what the hell were you thinking?! got himself suspended from school Wednesday morning. He then spent his two days 'off' being a royal jackass and basically not understanding or giving two shits about the basic principles of being grounded.
So Friday I text my brother that I need him to come over and y'know, actually watch his kid Saturday because Mom and I have plans. He asks what plans. I tell him about the vow renewal. I don't just say plans, so it's not just something I can do any old time. He agrees.
Saturday night at work I come back from my break and C asks if I can maybe, possibly work til 7am. Y'know, delay my already shortened vacation. I agree because I am an idiot. Shortly thereafter, the truck of doom arrives and I regret my decision immediately. Still, I stay and I don't complain because I am a goddamned trooper. Also, I rarely say yes when they ask me to stay these days so gotta take one for the team or something.
I go home. I set my alarm, eat my breakfast and fall asleep. I wake up a little later than I intended because I'm terrible about dragging my ass out of bed on my days off, but still. I rush around to find my sweater so I can throw it in the dryer and I curl my hair. I take the time to look presentable, dammit. I'm just about to start taking the curlers out when Mums hollers upstairs for me to come down and talk.
You all know where this is going, right? None of you are stupid. So I take out the curlers in record time and shimmy into the dress I bought just for this occasion (the renewal, not what actually occured) and go downstairs to see if my brother has managed to fuck things up for me... yet again.
I should point out that Widget was originally slated to go to a Halloween party last night and this fact, combined with the fact that at least two of his friends drive, means that I did not trust him to not sneak out if left alone. It is why he required a sitter. Also, I'm tired of Mom and I always getting to deal with all the unfun parts of parenting someone else's kid.
I get downstairs and Mom says something and I interrupt to say something snarky and then ask if maybe I need a drink so that I won't be interrupting with snarky comments for this talk. Non-alcoholic, people, but maybe I should've upgraded my order. Anyway, she says yes to the drink and I know full well that the boy is once again weaseling out of being a parent in any way.
Turns out he had a party to go to. Some annual shindig. To which I snap that I don't fucking care because I have plans and also his parenting skills are in dire need of some practice. Seriously, this is not that fucking difficult to understand.
Now throw in some tears and wailing from Mom about how she hates to be stuck in a no-win situation and the fact that it spent a decent about of time raining and oh yeah, Mom's never been to the church where the renewal is being held and long story told slightly shorter: I don't get to go. I also don't get to go to my back-up plan of looking at lights at the various neighborhoods because of the rain.
Which pisses me off for so, so many reasons. Why, oh why, am I supposed to be impressed that my brother will come by tonight and we'll have hours to go light hunting? We could've done both! Why did he get to have his party but I missed mine? Because I could not bring myself to demand that the boy come by while I would still be here. Turns out it wouldn't have made much difference considering that the entrance, the only entrance, to the neighborhood was blocked off for a couple of hours for reasons I still do not know.
Basically, yesterday was fucking with me on all levels.
We venture into the neighborhood to look for lights, not holding my breath because rain makes some people weird about turning on holiday lights for some reason, and when we come home after a strange tour of the richer part of the neighborhood, the Widget blows up at us for ... I don't remember. I do remember that he went to go outside and I told him that if he did, I would call both his parents until they both showed up (or, more likely, just turned their phones off, but I didn't say this part aloud) and he dared me to but never went outside. So I didn't and then after a few minutes he asked me to and so I called his mother first. She did not pick up...
But when he called her two seconds later she did. Shocker, she screens her calls and refuses to pick up when we call. Gosh. I am ever so surprised by this turn of events. Anyway, he goes off when she, once more, refuses to come get him (likely because she too is at a Halloween party, and also because her husband is a piece of shit who hates Widget but why let a little thing like that keep you from marrying a man who looks like he'd be right at home on a Most Wanted poster) and then he breaks down crying because he has had his annual realization that his mother will not inconvenience herself for him unless she will either look good, get something out of it, or make us look bad. All calls to his father go unanswered, though I don't think Widget even tried calling him.
That's right. My night was capped off with a teenager sobbing because his parents both had plans they couldn't be bothered to break to spend time with their kid. Sure, their kid needed the time spent because he was grounded but still.
My plans lay in shambles but eventually the three of us hit the Bi-Lo for ice cream because sometimes you just need some ice cream. So what did we learn? We learned that if the four adults in Widget's life have plans, only his parents don't have to show up... but if Mums and I do, even if it's not entirely by choice, it doesn't count. Because we aren't the parents. And it doesn't count double for me because I am just the aunt. The aunt whose new dress has snot on it because of the crying and the comforting during the crying, even though I felt like crying, too. Stupid being the adult and having to put someone else's needs before my own.
But hey. It's not like it was the only Saturday I'll have off for the rest of the year... oh. Wait.
Yesterday sucked and I would like to physically harm everyone who made it suck more than it needed to.
Oh, and it extended into today because when I went to take my shower, it was cold. Until I finished washing my hair and trying to think warm, hateful thoughts to keep from getting frostbite. Then the hot water appeared.
And that's basically how my week has gone.
You might remember that I asked for last week off from work. You might also remember that I did not get it off. Instead, I got Saturday off and Tuesday, along with my normal Sun/Mon combo off. Annnnnnd I should point out that unless someone messes with my schedule for some reason, I will literally not get another Saturday off until next year. Keep that in mind for this, will you? Also, I very, very rarely have plans. Actual legit plans that involve people I do not live with.
Widget, in a stunning move of what the hell were you thinking?! got himself suspended from school Wednesday morning. He then spent his two days 'off' being a royal jackass and basically not understanding or giving two shits about the basic principles of being grounded.
So Friday I text my brother that I need him to come over and y'know, actually watch his kid Saturday because Mom and I have plans. He asks what plans. I tell him about the vow renewal. I don't just say plans, so it's not just something I can do any old time. He agrees.
Saturday night at work I come back from my break and C asks if I can maybe, possibly work til 7am. Y'know, delay my already shortened vacation. I agree because I am an idiot. Shortly thereafter, the truck of doom arrives and I regret my decision immediately. Still, I stay and I don't complain because I am a goddamned trooper. Also, I rarely say yes when they ask me to stay these days so gotta take one for the team or something.
I go home. I set my alarm, eat my breakfast and fall asleep. I wake up a little later than I intended because I'm terrible about dragging my ass out of bed on my days off, but still. I rush around to find my sweater so I can throw it in the dryer and I curl my hair. I take the time to look presentable, dammit. I'm just about to start taking the curlers out when Mums hollers upstairs for me to come down and talk.
You all know where this is going, right? None of you are stupid. So I take out the curlers in record time and shimmy into the dress I bought just for this occasion (the renewal, not what actually occured) and go downstairs to see if my brother has managed to fuck things up for me... yet again.
I should point out that Widget was originally slated to go to a Halloween party last night and this fact, combined with the fact that at least two of his friends drive, means that I did not trust him to not sneak out if left alone. It is why he required a sitter. Also, I'm tired of Mom and I always getting to deal with all the unfun parts of parenting someone else's kid.
I get downstairs and Mom says something and I interrupt to say something snarky and then ask if maybe I need a drink so that I won't be interrupting with snarky comments for this talk. Non-alcoholic, people, but maybe I should've upgraded my order. Anyway, she says yes to the drink and I know full well that the boy is once again weaseling out of being a parent in any way.
Turns out he had a party to go to. Some annual shindig. To which I snap that I don't fucking care because I have plans and also his parenting skills are in dire need of some practice. Seriously, this is not that fucking difficult to understand.
Now throw in some tears and wailing from Mom about how she hates to be stuck in a no-win situation and the fact that it spent a decent about of time raining and oh yeah, Mom's never been to the church where the renewal is being held and long story told slightly shorter: I don't get to go. I also don't get to go to my back-up plan of looking at lights at the various neighborhoods because of the rain.
Which pisses me off for so, so many reasons. Why, oh why, am I supposed to be impressed that my brother will come by tonight and we'll have hours to go light hunting? We could've done both! Why did he get to have his party but I missed mine? Because I could not bring myself to demand that the boy come by while I would still be here. Turns out it wouldn't have made much difference considering that the entrance, the only entrance, to the neighborhood was blocked off for a couple of hours for reasons I still do not know.
Basically, yesterday was fucking with me on all levels.
We venture into the neighborhood to look for lights, not holding my breath because rain makes some people weird about turning on holiday lights for some reason, and when we come home after a strange tour of the richer part of the neighborhood, the Widget blows up at us for ... I don't remember. I do remember that he went to go outside and I told him that if he did, I would call both his parents until they both showed up (or, more likely, just turned their phones off, but I didn't say this part aloud) and he dared me to but never went outside. So I didn't and then after a few minutes he asked me to and so I called his mother first. She did not pick up...
But when he called her two seconds later she did. Shocker, she screens her calls and refuses to pick up when we call. Gosh. I am ever so surprised by this turn of events. Anyway, he goes off when she, once more, refuses to come get him (likely because she too is at a Halloween party, and also because her husband is a piece of shit who hates Widget but why let a little thing like that keep you from marrying a man who looks like he'd be right at home on a Most Wanted poster) and then he breaks down crying because he has had his annual realization that his mother will not inconvenience herself for him unless she will either look good, get something out of it, or make us look bad. All calls to his father go unanswered, though I don't think Widget even tried calling him.
That's right. My night was capped off with a teenager sobbing because his parents both had plans they couldn't be bothered to break to spend time with their kid. Sure, their kid needed the time spent because he was grounded but still.
My plans lay in shambles but eventually the three of us hit the Bi-Lo for ice cream because sometimes you just need some ice cream. So what did we learn? We learned that if the four adults in Widget's life have plans, only his parents don't have to show up... but if Mums and I do, even if it's not entirely by choice, it doesn't count. Because we aren't the parents. And it doesn't count double for me because I am just the aunt. The aunt whose new dress has snot on it because of the crying and the comforting during the crying, even though I felt like crying, too. Stupid being the adult and having to put someone else's needs before my own.
But hey. It's not like it was the only Saturday I'll have off for the rest of the year... oh. Wait.
Yesterday sucked and I would like to physically harm everyone who made it suck more than it needed to.
Oh, and it extended into today because when I went to take my shower, it was cold. Until I finished washing my hair and trying to think warm, hateful thoughts to keep from getting frostbite. Then the hot water appeared.
And that's basically how my week has gone.
no subject
I don't even know what to say, except for that really, really sucks and that I wish there was some way to make your brother act like an actual goddamn adult and actually parent his child like he's, yanno, supposed to, by virtue of being a father. Ugh.
(no subject)