Meet the In-Laws

My husband is 'the responsible one' in his group of siblings. Well, let me tell you, it doesn't pay, at least not with his family.

The day of the Brother in Laws wedding, after having a few drinks (I wasn't drunk - happy and dancing and relaxed, but NOT trippy drunk) and a fairly good time we go to the parking lot where my mother in law has parked her car extrodinarily close to my husbands truck. (She moved her car closer to the door.) Well, I'm no Kate :) , but I could've squeezed in - no problem.

The problem? I had to buckle my girlie in her car seat. I'm holding the door from hitting the mother in laws car with my leg and trying to buckle the girl. I reached for the buckle, the door slips and *ding* into her door it goes. She's right there, "Don't worry about it, it was an accident, no big deal" I apologize profusely because truly, I am sorry. "Oh, my god, I'm sorry" etc, etc. She reiterates... Don't worry about it, a few more times and we all leave.

Three weeks pass. My father in law states that he's getting the door fixed and what body shop should he go to? My husband comes home and relays the conversation to me. He says we're fixing the door. I say they can call my insurance company. He says we have to fix their door. I say I could've done more damage with a shopping cart. He says we have to fix the door. I say if the estimate is more than their insurance deductible than they'll have to file a claim and we'll pay their deductable. He says we have to fix the car.

I shut up. What I want to say is this.... Only you sweetie. They would not make your brother, the son who forged their name on checks for thousands of dollars just last year, pay them back. It's no one's business whether he's paying them back according to my mother in law. Never mind the money he took from them (freely given, I might add) while he was awaiting his trial and in prison (yes, folks, PRISON!).

But you call my husband to see if he can return your post hole digger/chainsaw/ladder after one day? And make a comment like, "Good thing we're right around the corner - you wouldn't be able to borrow this stuff if we were in North Carolina ." ( Which is where they threaten to move every few years, but don't because their daughter lives with them with her son and "Where would she go?")

HELLO?!?!? When you need a $100.00 ladder for exactly two days and have always been told that we can borrow items like that, why the comment? And next time you need to use a leaf blower don't call me. But I digress. Because, the point is, they wouldn't have even asked the daughter to fix it if it had been her. And the other son would've made an empty promise about getting it fixed himself (and maybe this newly reformed self of his would've done it - but we've all been burnt many, many times by that one) and then never follow through.

But this other son, my husband, he'll pay. He'll make sure it gets fixed. That's what he does. I don't say any of this to my husband because deep in his heart he knows all this already - and it really hurts. Not the taking responsibility part, but the part where, 'why all the free ride stuff to the other two and they're only throwing him a borrowed (and make sure you bring it back tomorrow) ladder once in awhile?' - that part. And the part where they treat the other grandson like gold and my kids over here with their responsible son, are the afterthought.

Note: I'm sure there will be another post about that around the holidays because my son is just starting to notice that Nana and Papa spend a heck of alot more on the other grandson. Please, son, let every manner I ever taught you about politeness leave your body temporarily that day to ask them WHY!

And I don't want to say it out loud, because really, it sounds so damned whiny. But I can put it all here. And you can read it or skip it or whatever. And see....I already feel better. Much better. Thank you, you free blogging therapists!