Sunday, March 9, 2008

Phone call at 11:30 last night

I'd just had a horrible night. Alli was being extremely rude and disrespectful. I'd kept Elvis (even worse - sick Elvis) so she could have a break last night. She got mad because I asked her to take the used towels to the laundry room before she left. There was lots of stomping and huffing before she left, making a point to tell Elvis goodbye but ignored me.

I actually packed a bag to leave last night. I don't really know where I would have gone. My mom's, I guess. I'm just so tired of being treated like the enemy. I spent the evening caring for cranky Elvis and getting my clothes washed and packed, fully planning to walk out the door as Alli walked in. Thankfully (or sadly, depending on how you look at it) I calmed down and grew up a bit. First, I realized that it was MY house and if anyone was going to leave, it needed to Alli. Second, I'm the adult in this situation. (Yes, she's the age of an adult but her development was stunted around age 13.) She's had a lifetime of adults walk out on her or send her away. She needs to grow up herself and decide if she's willing to put forth the effort required to live here.

She came home late and continued to ignore me and Elvis. She put Elvis in Beth's room to watch a DVD and went back to her room. Elvis started fussing and I knew she couldn't hear so I texted her that he was fussy and his meds were over an hour and a half late. She came and got him but didn't acknowledge me at all.

I got in bed about 11:00. I read some Harry Potter before taking my contacts out and snuggling in for the night about 11:20. At 11:30 my cell rang and it was Beth, who was spending the night with a friend. She asked if I could come get her. I asked if everything was okay and she said yes, so I got up, put my contacts back in, stepped into my shoes and left the house in shorts in 28 degree weather. Beth's friend lives about 18 miles from us. When I got there, Beth was standing on the front porch waiting. She never did tell me exactly what happened. She just said the friend's mother was in a bad mood and she wanted to come home. I didn't push her for more info. I want her to know if she's ever in a bad/dangerous situation that she can call me and I'll be there - no hesitation and no questions asked. We stopped at a Taco Bell drive-thru and had a beefy cheesy melt for a midnight snack. When we got home, she thanked me, hugged me, and headed for bed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am sooo glad you were there to take that call!

Stephanie