Quick Thaw

April 20, 1999

After yesterday, I expected a miniature version of the cold war to play out here in snotrag, misery. Much to my surprise, and at least partial relief, Mom acted as if nothing had happened. Smell fishy to you? I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth; after yesterday, I was feeling pretty drained emotionally, and ready for a rest. Still, I should have known there was a method to her madness. And there was.

This afternoon, she was going to go up to the Vet again, to get some flea treatment for the rest of the cats. She called this morning and asked if they had enough for five, and the vet's secretary informed her that they forgot to bill me for Peanut's worming pill yesterday, so I owed them a little money.

Since Mom seems to have relented and agreed to let me have Peanut (for now, at least), I said I'd pay for her flea treatment (knowing how broke Mom is and that she really can't afford the $10 per cat it costs), and I wanted to go up with her, because I had to go to the bank to get the money in the first place.

On the way up to the bank, Mom asked me when the next credit card bill should be coming, and I told her it should arrive next week (or maybe this). Then she asked me how much I owed, and I told her it was somewhere over two hundred dollars. Do you see it coming yet? She then asked if I could pay her the two hundred dollars now, since she underestimated on her spending this month, and has very little money in the bank to get her through till the first of the month. Not wanting a repeat performance of yesterday, and as I had the funds to spare, I agreed.

Once we got home and gave the cats their flea repellent applications, I hopped online, and when Jev showed up, I told him how fast Mom had changed her tune. And I told him that I suspect she's not even using all the money I give her toward the credit card to the credit card company, but she's making the minimum payments, and using the rest to get by for the month. I don't know that as a fact, but I'm beginning to have my suspicions.

Anyway, Jev said that -- like me -- before Mom threw the fit she did yesterday, he'd been thinking of us helping her out a bit, because she has run into some rather unexpected large bills as of late... first our central air unit went out late last summer and had to be completely replaced -- and I literally can't live in this climate without air conditioning -- and then the water heater went out over the winter holidays, and she had to replace that as well. Add that to the various and sundry costs of keeping up a house, and she's in well over her eyebrows right now.

Jev says he'll see how she behaves from now until I get out of here, as far as helping her out some. I would still like an apology, but I also feel obligated to help her out some, even if she doesn't apologize. After all the years that she has kept me housed and fed, I feel like I owe her something.... Yes, I pay her room and board, but I know that I cost more to keep than I give her; I feel guilty, and I'm sure yesterday only added to that feeling. *sigh*

I think things have settled down here; I don't expect anymore eruptions of Mt. Saint Helens. But, then again, you never know. She did help me pack today -- I got most of my Cherished Teddies collection and porcelain dolls boxed and the contents of my curio cabinet, and she went out and got some more boxes for me to pack things in.

It's really starting to look like I'm going to move. It seems weird to look up on my walls and see the mostly-empty shelves, where my dolls and figurines used to take up residence. I'm still weeding out things for the yard sale -- supposedly this weekend -- but I'm sure I'll still find more things to get rid of, after the sale is over and done. Ain't that the way it always goes?

Anyway, I think Jev should just be finishing up watching the Simpsons, so I'm going to wrap this up and try to get it posted.

~ Lis