To My Neighbor's Crapknuckle Sons:

The BBQ Pit
1

Just how is your mother our responsibility? We’re just the neighbors!!!

Okay, you two irresponsible fucks – some excuse for sons you are. She is your 80-something year old mother – why aren’t you taking care of her? Yes, I know driving over to see how she’s doing after her surgery isn’t as much fun as spending the weekend at the beach, like one of you probably did, or just sitting around in the comfort of your own home, like the other of you probably did. I know she’s crazy – God, do I know she’s crazy –but that is no excuse!!!

How could any child be so lousy to a parent in need? It’s not like you live out of town or anything; in fact, one of you could probably drive over from your house in the same time it takes me or my mom to walk down the street and tend to your mother. You put us down as the responsible person, who would put drops in her eyes every four hours, because you’re too fucking lazy to be bothered with your own mother. She would have never abandoned you the way you have her, and you ought to be ashamed of yourselves for relying on the kindness of others to take up your worthless slack.

Of course, we know you were hoping she’d just die on the table, but that’s pretty unlikely during cataract surgery. And I must admit, we were amazed you actually took her to have it done – we figured it was no more than another lie you told her to shut her up while you wait for her to finally kick it. That would solve all your problems, wouldn’t it, you limp fucksticks? If she’d only die, no more tedious visits, no more having her beg for medical attention, no more buying her groceries, paying for a maid, no more anything you don’t want to do, and you’d get your hands on all her lovely money. Here’s a newsflash – she doesn’t have anything worth having. She is what’s worth having. You need to take care of her, and appreciate her, while you do have her.

I hope everyone in town sees you for the worthless piles of dung you are, and that everyone sees how much you “love your mamma”. And one last thing – she’s not totally crazy – she knows what you’re doing. I hope you remember that after she’s gone.

2

Not a very pittish response, but…

Bless you, missdavis102 and your Mom, for being there to offer her the care that her lowlife children can’t be bothered to give.

I hope that her awareness of the situation means that she has adjusted her will to leave her belongings to a home for indignant cats, or some such.

3

Nononono… No! The money should go to TSFTPOLF (‘The Society For The Prevention Of Limp Fucksticks’).

4

I don’t want to get in trouble here, but it’s possible she was a vicious bitch to them throughout their childhoods and they can’t stand to be in the same house with her.

5

Please keep in mind there is a very special place in whatever afterlife you believe in for people like you and your mother.

Bless you.

6

Is there a community nursing service or something similar which oversees this woman’s care?

You and your mum are doing a wonderful thing, but what happens if she needs more intensive nursing and general care than she does now? It sure doesn’t sound like her children can be relied upon to provide it.

And as far as her children go, even if she did something heinous in their childhood, they can pay for someone else to take care of her should they not wish to have personal contact with her.

7

If she was a completely heinous mother, perhaps it would be best that they arrange to have someone take care of her and arrange to have the bills paid for with her own money. They shouldn’t have to pay.

Of course, if she wasn’t a completely horrible, abusive old bitch then they deserve to be flamed and insulted.

8

Thanks for being so supportive, especially here in the Pit. I didn’t realize how angry I was about the whole situation until recently, but it really gets to me. I don’t even like old people, but I’m beginning to see the error of my ways.

As far as I can tell (and of course this was before my time), the lady in question and her husband worked hard to provide for their kids. They attended church and were, to all outward appearances, a normal, happy family. Both sons were sent to college and it’s my understanding that the parents helped set them both up in business and helped each buy his home. They were very well known in the business community and so were probably able to pull some strings to help their kids professionally.

When I went down yesterday afternoon to see about her eye, she told me that one son had come in earlier that day and removed two envelopes containing checks (about $400) that she’d gotten in the mail that day to “take care of it for her”. She doesn’t know what he does with the money, and in all likelihood he pockets it for himself. That’s her belief, anyway, and from the level of care I know she receives, I have no reason to disbelieve it myself.

Speaking of community/home health agencies, of course there is that stuff available, but she does not use it. Pesumably this is because it would involve one of her kids taking her in, having her condition evaluated, and perhaps even involving social services in some way. This would all involve MONEY, TIME, and potentially, EMBARRASSMENT, if it comes to light that they are neglecting their mother. She is still convinced she can take care of herself, and she has always had an aversion to “charity” (she seems to have a lot of money tucked away somewhere, if only she could take the reins and use it). I figure, as long as there’s someone (even if it’s us) to look after her, see that she eats, isn’t lying down there dead, etc, there’s no need to challenge her belief system - she’s an old person, and if she doesn’t want help or charity, then we’ll just be neighborly. When that’s not enough, I guess she’ll either be booked into an old persons’ home or die.

The thing that really gets to me about this old lady is her teeth. Warning for the faint of heart: This story makes me gag just thinking about it. A couple of years ago, it was determined that the mom’s remaining teeth (she still had most of them) were not fit for use any further and that she would be better off with dentures. [Note: Being only the neighbor, I may not know the full circumstances, but I had never heard her complain about tooth, mouth, or gum problems, nor had I seen evidence of such in spending time with her.] So anyway, the sons have Mom taken to some quack* dentist and get all her teeth extracted. Then apparently, they have to wait for her gums to recede as far as they would before fitting dentures for her, which took about three months. The woman had NO TEETH AT ALL for at least three months! Finally, when she did get dentures, they didn’t fit. They slide around in her mouth. The dentist reportedly is unable to make her a new set, because “sometimes they just do that”. [Remeber, she is a little nutty sometimes, and I only have her version of what the sons/dentist/whomever say, and my own observations, to go by.] So now, two or three years later, she still has these gross, discolored, misfit dentures that wiggle when she talks and make a disgusting crunching sound when the teeth don’t come together just right.
Moral: I wouldn’t wish poor-fitting dentures on my worst enemy, much less my own mother, even if she was a cruel, horrible bitch to me growing up. Misfit dentures are inhumane and unforgivable. And more generally, there is no excuse for neglecting an old person - it should not be tolerated.

*the quack dentist really is a quack; I’m not just making that up to add to the story.

9

That’s a fact! And not just for the purpose of being good children, but it’ll also make things easier when she passes-on (There! A selfish reason to be humane. Just their style!). My grandfather was a molesting bastard. My mother still ensures that he has his needs cared for, and is taking steps to ensure that when he does pass-on, that the rest of us don’t have a real mess to handle when it comes time to clean-up his affairs. This entails flying from coast-to-coast to face the old monster a least twice a year. While she’s at it, she also ensures that an elderly cousin, apparently in the earliest stages of senility, is also taken care of. She (my mother) has enlisted the aid of my aunt, who lives somewhat locally (by California standards), in carrying out these needful, frequently messy, and completly thankless tasks.

If they (Mum and Auntie) can do it, complete with hassle of cross-country flights and driving up and down the coast, I find it hard to believe that the Crapknuckle Boys can’t at least ensure the care of their mother through some means, especially since they’re local. And I don’t mean by dumping the tasks on the neighbors, at least not without due compensation.

Hang tough, missdavis, I know how tough what you’re doing is, and you’ve my complete admiration and respect.