The Rescinded Invitation

In life we tend to collect friends, family and confidantes who make us feel better about ourselves with their grand gestures of being agreeable with whatever agenda we decide to roll out.

Oftentimes we end up collecting a bunch of yes men and women only to find out later on down the road the negatives which come with each agreeable personality is less than appealing and at times it can be downright annoying.

For example, take my adoptive mother for instance, she is often surrounded by her family and encourages them to come by the house in droves. She often treats them so well they barely want to leave.

To be more precise, when Lady Yobs, her niece had suddenly come up with her big announcement of moving to Las Vegas after she had tried to instigate a showdown with me, my adoptive mother felt it was a good idea and one that would prompt her to lay down roots and aspire to being a changed person.

However, the real story behind Lady Yobs moving to Vegas was not as noble as her making amends for her transgressions. She was actually motivated by a love affair which promised her the world but in the end it fizzed with drama and melodrama. Apparently the fellow she was dating had proposed and had promised to buy her a house, as well as help her out in her business.

Although the house did materialize, as soon as things got a bit dicey the fellow eventually became “distracted” with other things, and her new-found life in Vegas slowly began to unravel.

She was saddled with paying the mortgage on her own, and also trying to keep her business afloat. Therefore, although she had relatives living in Las Vegas, as soon as things began deteriorating she quickly harnessed  a plan to wiggle her way back into my adoptive parents’ lives.

It was right around the time my second eldest aunt had passed away, and since my adoptive mother was quite close with her I believe Lady Yobs seized the opportunity to make her argument why she should return to New York to take up residence with my adoptive parents.

I knew her motives were not that noble since she also was motivated by the fact my aunt may have left money in her estate, and since she had fibbed and told everyone she was her rightful niece I suppose she felt she was entitled to some of the spoils.

Nonetheless, she took advantage of my adoptive parents in their weak moments. Since my adoptive mother was recovering from a bout with breast cancer and my adoptive father had some extenuating health issues she used their health matters to segue into a comeback.

Nevertheless, after a whole lot of grandstanding and really putting on a pious act she managed to attain an invitation from my adoptive mother to return to the house to stay.

Minnie (my adoptive mother) felt the few years she was away in Las Vegas probably taught her to be more mature and responsible. She felt one became more disciplined, mild-mannered, and methodical after  being a property owner.  Minnie hoped she had learned to take care of her dwelling like most homeowners do.

When Lady Yobs lived at the house previously, my adoptive mother waited on her, her daughter, and their visitors night and day. On a weekly basis she went around tidying up after them. Even after working a forty hour week, they expected her to act as if she were their nurse maid.

Lady Yobs had made stipulations she did not want her daughter participating in household chores because of her dark complexion. She insisted my parents treat her like a princess, while she did nothing in the house and my adoptive mother worked herself weary to keep the residence in tip-top shape.

Since years had passed, and normally people mature with age, Minnie felt certain this time around things would be different. She felt since Lady Yobs knew her and  my adoptive father were recuperating from illnesses she would be more helpful around the house and considerate while providing them with moral support while they grieved the loss of my aunt.

Well, let’s just say all the warm, fuzzy, helpful feelings lasted about a couple of weeks. Then the tables turned, and not only was my adoptive parents playing Grandma and Grandpa to her grandchildren; but they were responsible for doing loads of laundry for about 8 people, making huge dinners constantly, and entertaining their cohorts till all hours of the night.

Then to really make things exciting, none of them could dine on the cuisine made for the whole household. Each member had a special dietary requirement which called for my adoptive mother to make several meals per day, plus make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for her and my adoptive father.

No one had the presence of mind to conduct any household chores or at the very least enlist cleaning help to take care of their messes. So all the maturity and compassionate feelings Minnie had hoped for (adoptive mother) turned out to be nothing but figments of her imagination.

Things had grown considerably worse and she was wearing herself out just to keep up and show what a fantastic aunt and grand-aunt she truly was.

My adoptive parents would be sitting up watching television when all of a sudden they became overwhelmed with “maui-waui” smoke. (marijauana)

Lo and behold, Lady Yobs  had returned after milling about town with a crowd. Part of their after carousing, unwinding session included having good times with libations and some very strong compounds. At first my parents thought she was trying to develop her cooking skills.

In a way you could say she was practicing cooking but it was a different kind. Along with the constant back and forth at all ungodly hours of the night and day, and the revolving door of “friends” and “suitors”, compiled with the additional strain of household chores, my adoptive mother was beginning to brim over with frustration.

Minnie became aware she had bitten off more than she could chew. The constant catering, and demands for impromptu baby sitting really began to take its toll on her and Mickey (the adoptive father) .

Instead of Lady Yobs lightening their load since they had been through so much, she had managed to make life more complicated and stressful. It was then my adoptive mother realized the invitation she had extended had become her Achilles heel.

It is one thing to love your family and want to do everything to please them and make them happy, but it was another story when you are not 100% well and they still expect you to keep going like the energizer bunny.

I may not be as trendy, savvy and agreeable as some of Minnie’s family members and my adoptive parents may think me a task and a half at times but I know in comparison to the malarkey which unfolds on a daily basis, they are beginning to view me as a breath of fresh air.