Last week was a pretty good. NJ arrived the 9th. Mama was doing much better & getting up every day. Ordinarily that would mean a lot of work for me, but my NJ arrived that Thursday. I think it confused Mama — she kept asking us Easter Sunday where the Christmas tree was & when were we going to open presents. NJ usually only comes once a year at Christmas so I guess it could be confusing for her since NJ arrived that Thursday.
Yeah - I've said that 3 times. NJ & I have not gotten along since we were kids. She is 5 years younger than I, so when Mama insisted she tag along with me or I couldn't go somewhere because of her, it caused a lot of resentment on my part. She said I treated her awfully. I really don't recall.
What I do remember is that one night a girlfriend & I attended a basketball game, being dropped off at the school by her aunt with assurances we could find a ride home with someone going that way. It turned out to be 3 guys from the opposite school who gave us a ride in their van, chugging Boones Farm Apple Wine the whole maybe 8 miles. We managed to go through 2 bottles, having them let us out at the short road so no one could see who brought us home. It was cold & we ran. So by the time we made the quarter-of-a-mile-that-felt-like-three-miles we were pretty wasted — or at least I was.
I made it in the house with nothing more than an "I'm here; good night!" to my parents as I breezed through the living room, they having already gone to bed. But I knew I was going to be sick. I woke my sister, & while I sat on the floor paying homage to the throne, I had her sit on the side of the tub & watch over me so I wouldn't fall asleep & Mama catch me there the next morning. After about 30 minutes she decided she'd had enough & went back to bed. I pulled myself together, splashed cold water all over my face, crawled into bed in the room we shared, & went to sleep with one foot on the floor to keep the room from spinning.
How is that so awful? She says it was much more than just that episode & it was all traumatic. I really don't recall. I do recall once the three of us — me, her & BJ — were sitting outside in my car talking about our shennanigans mostly. I said that I hoped they could learn from my mistakes & not have to go through so much. NJ quipped "When are you going to learn from your mistakes?" Whoa! I love my sister but I wanted to back-hand her; but she was in the back seat & it was a stretch. Comments like that & [what to me seemed like] her usual holier-than-thou attitude made it hard to like being around her very much.
I stayed a few days with her when she lived in Amarillo, & that is where it all came to a head. She let it all out - all her anger, her frustrations — & I stood there pretty much dumb founded with my mouth gaping open because I really didn't recall a fraction of what she had been so upset about all these years. That's when things relaxed just a tiny bit & it was a wee bit more bearable to be around her.
With us being the only ones living here & able to help out the folks as they needed it, & she now living in Ohio, she & I have had many conversations about them. We began to slowly repair the rift between us, warily at first — on both our parts I am sure. After Daddy fell in February 2007 & broke his hip, she began to rely on me even more for information about them & we closed that rift some — especially when he kept going down hill.
I was usually the one who was there ALL the time with them; so ordinarily I should have been there on that Saturday, but Meathead came out to give me a break. Big Daddy & I were at Sam's getting some things we needed. NJ was driving down from Ohio. She was maybe 20 miles away when we got the call he had gone home to be with the Lord & his earthly family who had gone before him. We left everything in the cart & drove home, getting there just a bit before she did. She was devastated; weeping in my arms & saying if only she hadn't stopped at that rest area she would have been here in time. I hugged her, telling her she didn't know that. They had talked on the phone & Daddy knew she was on her way; that was all that mattered to him. I think it was then & there the rift narrowed to a crevice that could be easily jumped back & forth; but maybe that became much smaller this trip. That speculation is based on a rather candid conversation we had while driving around town. Don't know how we got there, and I know it took her a LOT to have it; but I think it's brought us closer together.
Well I've got chores to do so peace!
Yeah - I've said that 3 times. NJ & I have not gotten along since we were kids. She is 5 years younger than I, so when Mama insisted she tag along with me or I couldn't go somewhere because of her, it caused a lot of resentment on my part. She said I treated her awfully. I really don't recall.
What I do remember is that one night a girlfriend & I attended a basketball game, being dropped off at the school by her aunt with assurances we could find a ride home with someone going that way. It turned out to be 3 guys from the opposite school who gave us a ride in their van, chugging Boones Farm Apple Wine the whole maybe 8 miles. We managed to go through 2 bottles, having them let us out at the short road so no one could see who brought us home. It was cold & we ran. So by the time we made the quarter-of-a-mile-that-felt-like-three-miles we were pretty wasted — or at least I was.
I made it in the house with nothing more than an "I'm here; good night!" to my parents as I breezed through the living room, they having already gone to bed. But I knew I was going to be sick. I woke my sister, & while I sat on the floor paying homage to the throne, I had her sit on the side of the tub & watch over me so I wouldn't fall asleep & Mama catch me there the next morning. After about 30 minutes she decided she'd had enough & went back to bed. I pulled myself together, splashed cold water all over my face, crawled into bed in the room we shared, & went to sleep with one foot on the floor to keep the room from spinning.
How is that so awful? She says it was much more than just that episode & it was all traumatic. I really don't recall. I do recall once the three of us — me, her & BJ — were sitting outside in my car talking about our shennanigans mostly. I said that I hoped they could learn from my mistakes & not have to go through so much. NJ quipped "When are you going to learn from your mistakes?" Whoa! I love my sister but I wanted to back-hand her; but she was in the back seat & it was a stretch. Comments like that & [what to me seemed like] her usual holier-than-thou attitude made it hard to like being around her very much.
I stayed a few days with her when she lived in Amarillo, & that is where it all came to a head. She let it all out - all her anger, her frustrations — & I stood there pretty much dumb founded with my mouth gaping open because I really didn't recall a fraction of what she had been so upset about all these years. That's when things relaxed just a tiny bit & it was a wee bit more bearable to be around her.
With us being the only ones living here & able to help out the folks as they needed it, & she now living in Ohio, she & I have had many conversations about them. We began to slowly repair the rift between us, warily at first — on both our parts I am sure. After Daddy fell in February 2007 & broke his hip, she began to rely on me even more for information about them & we closed that rift some — especially when he kept going down hill.
I was usually the one who was there ALL the time with them; so ordinarily I should have been there on that Saturday, but Meathead came out to give me a break. Big Daddy & I were at Sam's getting some things we needed. NJ was driving down from Ohio. She was maybe 20 miles away when we got the call he had gone home to be with the Lord & his earthly family who had gone before him. We left everything in the cart & drove home, getting there just a bit before she did. She was devastated; weeping in my arms & saying if only she hadn't stopped at that rest area she would have been here in time. I hugged her, telling her she didn't know that. They had talked on the phone & Daddy knew she was on her way; that was all that mattered to him. I think it was then & there the rift narrowed to a crevice that could be easily jumped back & forth; but maybe that became much smaller this trip. That speculation is based on a rather candid conversation we had while driving around town. Don't know how we got there, and I know it took her a LOT to have it; but I think it's brought us closer together.
Well I've got chores to do so peace!
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