Some of the Weekend.

The weekend at Mom’s was O.K. Pretty much par for the course…if going to my mother’s was a golf course and you happen to do ‘just fine’ whilst playing on said course.

We drove ‘home’ on Saturday. (It’s about a one hour and half drive…no big whoop.) Soon after we arrived my stepfather asked me if I would mow my grandfather’s lawn. I didn’t mind the idea of mowing his lawn, however I didn’t really want to spend time with him at his house. My grandfather’s house is falling down around him. Literally. One part of it is closed off because the ceiling panels are coming down. And the sun porch is full of dead plants. It’s not a happy place. It’s reflective of him in a lot of ways…maybe that’s why he is so comfortable there, and doesn’t want a thing touched. Which is fine with me because it’s sort of gross.

Anyway, My Stepfather said, “I’ll take you out to eat tonight in Keokuk, if you mow your Grandpa’s yard.” (Keokuk is another Iowa river town south of Fort Madison. It’s a bit larger so they have more meth. <—this is a joke. We weren’t having meth for supper. Though I s’pose some do around there) I didn’t want him to think he had to ‘pay’ me for mowing the lawn, so I told him it wasn’t necessary. He replied, “Well, why not? I have 20,000 dollars.”

“20 thousand dollars?” I thought. Wow. Um, O.k? Jolly good work? I was confused as to the correlation between this amount and dinner, or even with the mowing of the lawn. So I just said, “ok,” Maybe that was his plan, some sort of “LOOK OVER THERE!…”

“20,000 DOLLARS!”

He received an inheritance from his father. And now it’s time for the famous “Buy everything he wants game.” It’s quite fun for him, but it drives my mother (and the rest of us vicariously) crazy.

My sis rode home from Supper in Keokuk with D and I. Mom and B (stepfather) rode separately so they could stop at The Wal Mart to spend loads of cash on things that will boost their ratings in the social Echelon of our family. I.E. He was going blow a chunk of his inheritance, and Mom will (pretend) to be quite angry with him.

We took ‘River road’ home. The drive brought back many memories of my step-father (my first one, the one who raised me…he was mostly a jerk. mostly.) Anyway, he would take my sisters and I for a drive in the evening while my mom was out playing Bingo or bowling. Mom played Bingo a lot…come to think of it. (WAIT! holy shit, I just re-read this paragraph and I’m…I’m white trash. LOL just foolin’ i knew’d I’s that already.) So yeah, he would take us on drives along old highways along the Mississippi river, both on the Iowa and Illinois sides. It was actually a good memory…I was a bit surprised I had any of those involving him. Guess that only proves how much we sensor our life as we go on. Holding onto memories which solidify a certain ‘image’ we have of a person. So rare it is probably, that these images are anywhere near the core of who the person really is. I suppose that’s a bit sad…that realization.

In short. The drive through the woods along the Mississippi was nice.

While at The Wal Mart they bought a 46 inch flat screen t.v., a surround sound system, and a modern looking television stand which will most certainly clash a bit in their wood paneled living room decorated with a plethora of Eagle (I capitalize out of respect for our nation’s symbol) statues, Eagle ‘paintings’ and Eagle mirrors. <—think this but as a Living room. Or this:

The most annoying thing about the purchases was now D and I were responsible for figuring out how to put it all together, and make it work. B refuses to read to instructions, and refuses to put any effort whatsoever into actually putting something, anything, to memory. He will blame it on chocolate mescaline use in Vietnam, but I blame it on laziness. (pretty much at any point I say “D and I” were stuck doing something…I mostly meant D because he’s super nice like that. I needed a half a Xanax just to deal with the dismantling of the old entertainment center.)

The spending has kicked into a frenzy. I fear for their souls. There will be fights, and crying. Mom has already said, “Your father would never have blown this money on T.Vs and crap for his ‘ol pick up” (B. is also spending lots of cash on his truck(s). Neon Underlighting. Flashy Chrome Details, and other testosterone driven knick knacks.) Mom is playing the Disappointment From a Dead Father card; quite the bold move on her part this early in the Mad Cash Spree game.  I heard him mention the amount of dust behind the shoddy old entertainment center (it bowed in the middle from the weight of the old mammoth television.) He was playing the “Poor Housekeeper Card.”  Pretty risky to use with all the people in the living room to hear.  Man, I’m glad I don’t live there…  (I, of course, love them both dearly.)

I took some photos of the ‘Native American Children’ dolls that inhabit the guest bedroom upstairs. These are the faces staring at me while we sleep.

Almost adorable, this face…but if you look in the eyes…actually DON’T! Don’t look into the eyes!

It’s a wonder we can sleep at all.

~ by superhoot on April 29, 2008.