Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Strife and Sorrow in the left basement bedroom

I have Bart’s sister in law that lives with us. She has lived with us for 3+ years. In exchange for lodging she tends my children from the time she gets home from her job (2:30 pm) till whenever Bart or I make it home. This year she picks up Cooper from preschool and brings him home and sometimes she drives Chase to karate. Very rarely she will babysit on a weekend but I always ask and it is never an expectation of any sort.
I have no problem with her living at our house. I rather enjoy her. Even though she has made me more tolerant of Bart’s messiness simply by the fact that I can see it is inherent in their family background. Sometimes I am amazed at how few problems we have had. Especially because I am still living with a brother/sister relationship that sometimes regresses.
This last week she came to us and asked if Bart’s cousin who lives up in Moses Lake Washington could come and live with us for the next two month to work and save money. Recently she lost her job and she has not been able to find anything permanent. She is 30+. I have met her several times and really like her. She is just as strong willed as Carla, Bart’s sister, and myself.
I don’t really care. My house is full but hell, “the more, the merrier,” right? And it is family. There is something in me that believes in taking care of family. My only stipulation is that she does limit her stay to 2 months and I am counting on the fact that she will get 1 for sure and possibly 2 jobs to save money and not be around most of the time. You know me, always want to hope for the best.
Bart has decided to have an issue with this proposal. And he has every right. He part owns the house. He lives in the house. He pays the utilities. He has every right. His issues are not mine but they are valid. He is worried about friends, about parties, about what happens in his house when we are all gone. He says he is worried about the extra work that could come about. He just doesn’t want to deal with it.
So he told Carla. He told Carla no, Larae could not live with us for 2 months. Sorry. Here are the reasons and no thanks. That was 6 days ago. Carla has still not talked to either of us since then.

Let me rephrase that. She has not voluntarily spoken to either of us in 6 days. When Bart tried to talk to her about this she yelled at him and hung up on him. They were talking on the phone from one house line to another. I have not talked to her. But this is crazy! So now Larae is still coming and she is going to stay at Carla’s mother’s house where Amra the brain tumor has to move in since she can no longer drive a car and Dacia, the youngest sister and her 4 year old daughter permanently live. Oh, and did I mention that Carla and Bart’s mother lives with somebody for free in exchange for tending their children. So it is not their house either.
I have entered the world of Jerry Springer land……….in my own family. Bart is freaking out and calls me 4 times a day to give me frightful updates. Amra crying into the phone begging him to have Larae live with us instead of her because they hate each other. Promising us her first child. Bart screaming at his mother for not having a backbone and telling Larae she can’t come because her daughter just had brain surgery and needs to come live with her and receive a little special attention for at least 3 more months. Bart threatening to kick Carla out of our house not really understanding (as a man) how much Carla does for our family running my kids around and such. I think Larae will make it into town tomorrow.
Oh, I do not see Thanksgiving as going well this year.

1 comment:

Jen said...

Oh my gosh. I followed all of that. Oh my gosh. And I thought my life was complicated and exciting! Oh, what did I know.

Holy cow.

Good luck!