Diverging Roads
The apartment is suddenly a lot larger and a lot quieter than it had been not so long ago. This past Sunday marked the last day my Dad was not only crashing in the apartment (as he really had no other place to go while he was trying to work things out with my mother), but also the last day he'd be living around here at all. After many attempts that all subsequently failed, he's decided to turn and walk away from it all. He's going to be staying with his brother for a few days, and then they're going to move his stuff out to Nova Scotia, where he'll stay with my grandparents.
I personally can't call what he's doing 'running away.' When you're left with virtually no other options left and nowhere else to go, courtesy of the other party involved, you're not running. In all honesty, I think my mother didn't actually believe he would leave, and thusly she kept jerking him around with the wild hope that they might actually be able to resolve their problems--all so she could keep him on a proverbial short leash and get him to do whatever odd jobs she wanted him to do. Resolutions can't be made when someone isn't listening yo a word being said, or holding the search for a resolution as a high priority on her list.
All in all, I feel strangely relieved that this has happened. I deplore the circumstances that have led to this, and I doubt that all will be forgiven as time goes on. I can only hope for the best for my Dad, wish him the best of luck in Nova Scotia as he tries to create a new life for himself, and keep in contact with him through calls and letters as much as I can. At least now he's not being trapped in a limbo state, no sure if he should stay or go, uncertain if things will work out. The distance will be unpleasant, to say the least, but it's a distance that's needed between the two of them right now. Maybe it'll help dislodge my mother's head out of her ass. I wish I could remain optimistic as I make such a caustic remark as that, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
Life still goes on despite all of this. My Dad's picking up the pieces of his life, with the support of pretty much everyone else he knows, including my sister and I. Mel & I suddenly are alone in our apartment again, and while if he ever needed the crash space my Dad could stay without qualms or concerns, it's good to have the freedom and quiet again.
Today's Lesson: when a loud "bzzzt!" suddenly is heard from your rice steamer, it probably means in all likelihood that your steamer has committed ritual suicide. (As what happened with ours.)
posted by Phillip at 7:27 AM
