The visit home.

The visit home.
Sep 14, 2008 7:26 pm
Since I married the Meteor in February of 2000, I had not been home for a visit, except two weeks in early September 2001 (before the horrible attacks on that day, but I have to save that experience for another blog). Since around May of 2001, I had heard small bits and pieces about my grandfather's health, and none of it was good. My family was optimistic, thee didn't want me to worry. However, I knew something wasn't right, and I would rather remember that time with him, than you remember having to scramble home for a funeral. I visited with family for 2 full weeks, then returned back to the Meteor. The Meteor, hadn't been to visit with family since we were married. It was the summer of 2004, and he felt it was time. I planned the trip as though we were planning to invade a small country. I wanted to be sure we had sufficient time with both his and my family. The entire trip was met with stress at every turn. My mother was gracious to allow us to use her car, instead of renting one. My sister opened up her house to us. His family was always so good to me, to us, that they also opened their home to us. That was the calm part. He didn't like to fly. He didn't want to do this or that or whatever. He didn't want to spend time with my family. One day, my father took us fishing. (yes, I go fishing.) We caught some fish, and based on the discussion on the boat and all day, after ward, we would shower and have the daily catch for supper that night with my parents. He started in by making comments here and there about his disapproval of the evening's plans, that he had agreed to earlier in the day, when he thought no one was listening. I asked him to talk about it with me privately, not in front of my family. I didn't want the charade I have been putting on for the past four years to come crumbling down. Things came to a head, and I told my father I wasn't sure we'd be making it to dinner. Before my father could say anything, the Meteor made me look a fool, by agreeing to dinner with my parents. My younger sister joined us for dinner. My father, mother, younger sister, the Meteor, and I sat down to dinner. At some point my mother got up from the table, to go get something or take a phone call. The Meteor was recounting a story about a time when something funny happened, I was laughing along, and I interjected another comment. I shouldn't have opened my mouth. The Meteor said "Shut your stupid mouth!" Just plain as anything. At my father's table. I thought my younger sister was going to leap across the table and stab him with a butter knife. My father..... did nothing. I'm not even sure he heard it at all.