Here is what I have had to deal with today. It started as a simple plan: I drive down to L.A. for Father’s Day to see my Dad but in the morning my niece is in a kiddie play of some kind so I will see that first. My Mother and Step-Dad will be at the play so my Dad refuses to go. I haven’t seen Mom for a while so I plan to see her first, then the play, then off to Dad’s. Mom wants me to see her after the play for lunch so I call my Step-Mom to tell her that I’ll show up at 3 to her house.
Step-Mom is upset because she ordered a deli platter for a certain number of people and now I’m not eating. She knows full well that I hardly eat anything, especially compared to everyone else. The amount that I eat is totally insignificant. Nevertheless I agree that I will join my Mom for lunch and not eat. All eating that day for Haj will take place in her home.
Then Dad is mad because I am spending an hour and a half of Father’s Day with Mom. I swear that I am not making this up. The only way to placate him is to promise that I will spend an hour and a half of Mother’s Day next year with him. He was married to my Mom for 13 years and has been married to my Step-Mom for 25 years. The divorce was 30 years ago and I still have to put up with this shit. Why the fuck does every simple thing with this family turn into complicated bullshit? Somehow they still can’t understand why I haven’t gone to the family vacation in years.
Haj