A post in which it is Mother's Day***

I had turned off my phone last night before I went to bed, because I hadn't heard from Jason, and frankly didn't want to at 2am. I decided if there was anything there, I would deal with it in the morning. There wasn't.

But Jeff and James texted me to invite me to go to the flea market. I had just been yesterday and it was chilly this morning. Plus there were just other things I felt like doing this morning. So the plans changed and I just went on up to their house for a visit which (wow, wow, wow!) went very well. We enjoyed coffee on the new deck, gossiped about their neighbors, and basically I just tried to forget the luncheon that was looming ahead.

Now it wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Lisa and her family, who were all coming up. It was that a) we were having the lunch in a fancy place that meant Sunday clothes, and making sure we all appeared the appropriate part; and that b) I figured at some point Eve would have a scene/crying jag/etc about the fact that Cindy wasn’t going to call or send a Mother’s Day card. Then I would have to listen to yet another diatribe from Dad on how sorry they both were, etc, etc. I’ve heard it all so many times I can recite it by heart. Since I am the usual audience for all of this, I figured they would be ramped up to new heights of drama with Lisa’s presence to act as a fresh sounding board. Sigh.

I understand that Eve is upset, and I do feel badly for her, but she has been suffering openly and constantly for three years now. It’s just hard not to have some sympathy fatigue after a while. I don’t have children, so I can’t claim to know what it’s like to lose one, or how you come back from that. But I know that after a while you just have to have some filters. If someone consistently says “Screw you.” to me for a while, then I just kind of write them off and move on with my life. I mean after the fortieth or fiftieth stabbing, it’s strained at the hospital when you know the victim keeps handing the perp the knife again, ya know?

But showing up for Mother's Day luncheon is what a dutiful son would do. So I wearily went home and got ready to go. I ironed a shirt and tried to appear the Nice Young Man as much as I am capable of doing so at this point (without compromising my earrings however, that’s just become a hard line for me). Of course Lisa was late. That’s just part of going places with Lisa. But the restaurant was nice, we had a good table, the baby was on her best behavior, and the food was absolutely gorgeously delicious. We were at Larkin’s on the River. The salmon - on a buffet, yet – was some of the best I have ever eaten. After we ate about 5,000 pounds of food, we adjourned to the house to visit.

Things went better than I had anticipated, I have to admit. Dick and Eve were on their best behavior. Confounding my dread and expectations, Eve did not have a melt-down today. They have talked Lisa and her family into spending a week at the beach with them next month, and Eve loves planning and shopping for a trip about as much as she does the trip itself. She was happily and busily trying to get Lisa interested in making numerous, superfluous and premature trip preparations; which I have to say Lisa handled very patiently.

The afternoon passed peacefully enough. Eventually five hours later, I left. I was exhausted. I felt as if I had run a couple of miles in full gear. I went home and became One with the Sofa, where I pretty much remained. I did have a text from Jason earlier in the day, apologizing, but telling me basically that he was too upset to come yesterday. It would have been nice to get that message yesterday. He left a voice mail this afternoon while I was at Dick and Eve’s which I listened to tonight, but I just didn’t have the energy to deal with it, frankly. After spending all afternoon cringing under a dramatic sword of Damocles, my reserves were just used up.

I ordered a pizza after a while, mainly so I could sleep through the night. I wasn’t the least bit hungry, but I hadn’t eaten since lunch. I watched a bit of telly, and turned in. It feels like it has been a long day, but I haven’t done that much really.