Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Everyday People


About 30 years ago, I lost my mind and married a man I thought was an OK sort of guy. For the sake of this story, we'll call him bastard George. It didn't take long to figure out that along with 80 proof blood, George had poison running through his veins. I should have had a clue that something wasn't quite right with this man when having missed the turn, he thought nothing of parking the car in the middle of the lawn at 2 in the morning. I was a little slow to catch on. Only two good things came from that union. The first is my beautiful daughter, Sebba, and the other is my best friend, Fanette. You see, Fanette is my ex husband's niece-his sister Runaway's child. Technically that made her my niece, but really, we're very close friends.

If you have it handy, now would be a good time to get a piece of paper and a pen. You'll need that to keep score.

Prior to my own fall into matrimonial folly, George had been married to Jane, who herself was a piece of work and they had 3 sons. George and Jane had a contentious divorce that was filled with as much drama as their marriage had been. In the midst of all this drama, George's sister, Runaway, Fanette's mother, ran off with Jane's brother, deserting her own husband and 4 daughters under the age of six. Are you still with me? In spite of their parents and families, Fanette and her sisters turned out OK, too.

Never in my life have I met a more venomous gang of people as George and Jane and their relatives. George's mother was the ring leader. Her kids could do no wrong. Never mind that George, a drunk, was a serial groom who would wed any girl dumb enough to say I do, her own daughter Runaway was elevated to sainthood in her eyes. How do you even begin to justify deserting 4 young girls to go live free and easy in California? You can't run further away from life on this continent without falling into the ocean. Over the years, Runaway has rewritten her personal history that's complete with an ogre (the husband she deserted), and chock full of excuses that to her, ring true. George's mother embraced every excuse her daughter dished out as gospel. She was all about appearances. She simply couldn't accept that her daughter may have been a hussy and when all was said and done, it was really all about the sex.

To give you an example of how mean the woman was, a couple of years after I married George, I sat rocking my newborn Sebba. With complete sincerity, my mother in law looked me in the eyes and said, "I hope some day soon, my Georgie and Jane will get back together so they can be a family again." She was all fuzzy and sweet that way. I was dumbfounded and filled with antipathy for that woman. She was incredibly cruel and not surprisingly, very lonely. After many years of living by herself in Detroit, my ex mother in law moved to California to be near her daughter. I heard she died in a chair in her living room, all alone with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.

As dramas go, this family had (and continues to have) doozies. As history begins to repeat itself (as it tends to do), I am watching more family drama unfold as one of George's sons gets divorced. How my daughter found herself smack in the middle of this circus side show is beyond me. I have no advice except to say that she needs to consider the source(s). She may also be in need of a priest to perform some sort of blessing or exorcism. If all else fails, she may want to use the freezer method of eliminating people with bad karma.


Photo: google images

17 comments:

Silliyak said...

If I were ever to get a tattoo, which I won't, it would be the tragedy/comedy masks surrounded by a red circle with a line through it. NO DRAMA! And I was fortunate enough to have married the perfect woman, the first time. My sympathies.

Winifred said...

Oh Rudee there's a film in that story. It's a wonder you survived it sane. As you say "What a family"!

Love the meerkats photo! The best wildlife film I ever saw was the BBC's "Meerkats United". Fabulous.

Gail said...

All our life are soap operas. I guess it is up to us to change the channel or just turn off the tv.

I must say again, how beautiful that yarn is, shining on the top of your page.

Rudee said...

Gail, go ahead and follow the freezer instructions for your what you're dealing with. Write out the problem on brown paper in waterproof ink. Put it in a container, fill with water and freeze. I swear it works.

clairedulalune said...

I gotta look into this freezer method. I got a close family member like that, digging away at you. I have consquently moved countries. I feel for you, and glad you never have to set eyes on her again! PS Still lovin the yarn on your header. Gorgeous!

Stephanie V said...

Aren't we humans such messy critters? I know it's not funny but, Rudee, you tell a story so well. I did smile a bit.

Brenda said...

That sounds like some interesting stuff for a genealogy story. I once took a genealogy class and the teacher said it is exciting to stumble upon some interesting stories to go with the phone book style facts.
Okay when it is in the past, I guess, but not so fun when it is in the present. My family has some....well...whos doesn't?! Lets face it every family has them somewhere.

Darci said...

I might just try this. But I might do one 5 gallon pail :)

Renie Burghardt said...

Well, Rudee...I didn't exactly marry a Prince Charming either. In fact, he was a troubled soul, who made life miserable for us. But my MIL was quite a loving woman, and sided with me to the point where she was going to testify against her own son in divorce court. He agreed to settle out of court.

Though he is no longer in this world, having exited by his own hands a few years ago, he soured me on ever trying again! But despite all of that, I did get 3 wonderful human beings out of the deal, and for that I'm thankful. So I don't need the freezer, and I must add that I am at peace and happy these days.

laurie said...

ok this is freaking me out because i have a good friend named george who is married to a woman named jane.

but my friend g is a teetotaler. always has been.

Rudee said...

Laurie-did Jane have a brother who ran off with her husband's sister? I couldn't make up this family tree if I tried my hardest. And George is not his name. I used the Jetsons as pseudonyms. I swear that's the only thing I made up in this yarn.

Joanna said...

What a story! I'm kinda interested in this freezer technique. And I think the name Runaway is just too perfect! Thanks for the entertainment, although I'm sure it wasn't that entertaining to live through.

The Crusty Crone said...

oh dear. Those drama people just wear ya out, don't they? And that MIL... what a treat she must have been.

I've got a friend who creates her own history, too. She made up, unconsciously I think, a warm and fuzzy mother who, later, she had to admit was a bitch. She also brags about how she got her twin daughters thru high school without them getting pregnant. WTF?! I was there when one of the twins went in for an abortion at 16 yrs old. (they're now in their 40s) I guess that doesn't count since there was no birth. Selective memory always helps.

I've made gobs of horrible mistakes, too. I'm a slow learner, but hopefully I'm done with all that now.

sandy said...

Wow, what a story! I wish you had photos to go with this, cause I'd love to see them....

SkippyMom said...

You are taunting me with that lovely yarn Rudee :D [kidding, but it is sooo pretty]

I could write pages about my own family, but don't because it isn't worth reliving or dealing with because I chose to keep them at arms length. They are simply that caustic. My immediate family [Me, Pooldad and the kids] are much healthier and happier for it.

SkippyMom said...

You are taunting me with that lovely yarn Rudee :D [kidding, but it is sooo pretty]

I could write pages about my own family, but don't because it isn't worth reliving or dealing with because I chose to keep them at arms length. They are simply that caustic. My immediate family [Me, Pooldad and the kids] are much healthier and happier for it.

♥ Braja said...

You're right, the freezer method works. :)