I went over to upgrade the family computer since windows 10 is being killed. (They can’t use windows 11 so fuck it, they are getting Linux with KDE and they will never know the difference). I’m in the office working on the machine, showing my stepfather how to use it and making sure there’s nothing tripping him up when my mother walks in and starts complaining about how horrible my father was and all the things he supposedly did when they were married.
Whatever. It’s been over 30 years and she’s still complaining but she swears she’s totally over him.
Mom starts in on how she loved it when we all still lived together in the same house and how wonderful that was before we grew up.
I’m instantly pissed. We were poor as fuck. I was stuck at home for years and only let out for school. There were some exceptions like family thanksgivings and such but I wasn’t allowed to go out and have friends or do anything because mom was concerned my siblings “might burn the house down.” I had no authority over them but if their homework wasn’t done, chores weren’t done, they weren’t home when she expected them it was MY fault and I was in trouble. Fuck her.
I tell her that’s a weird way to remember things. I remember we were poor and barely had food most of the time.
Mom: “oh no, we were never poor.”
Me: “we screened your calls. You didn’t want to talk to the bank.”
Mom: “that didn’t happen.”
Me: -blink-
Mom: “…I just remember being happy then.” (She wasn’t. She was screaming all the time) “in fact, I think it would be great if you and your sister and brother all lost your jobs and homes and had to move back in with me. We could all live under one roof again. Wouldn’t that be great?”
-record scratch-
Me: “when times were tough for me, I lived in a homeless shelter for a while just to avoid living with you. And my siblings have kids of their own now. Why would you be happy about them losing their homes?!”
Mom: “it would be nice.”
Yup that sounds about right.