The clouds are gathering…

Well, that’s a terrible way to start a post about my mother coming to visit…

but if the shoe fits…

My parents are coming this weekend. My stepdad, God love ‘im, has already arranged to stay with my soon-to-be ex-husband, figuring that’s where the boys will be. (?) My mother, with a tone sounding much like she’d just lost a bet, then called to inform me she’d be staying at MY place for the weekend.

My parents are not allowed to stay in the same household when they come visit; it’s complicated. When you go to their house, you have to put up with how they are. When they come to yours, you don’t. I guess that’s how they figure it.

I can only imagine what my brother must be thinking. Is he upset that I stole his default parent?

Or is he just relieved?

Probably a little of both… my mom can be like that. I asked her once, when she had shown up at my house and immediately started re-cleaning everything I had just cleaned in preparation for her arrival, if she did the same thing to him at his house. Her reply? “Don’t have to anymore… HE got a MAID.”

I love my mom, I do. She just makes me crazy sometimes. I can never do anything right, and even at my age she can make me feel like that stumbling nervous kid who doesn’t know what to do or say next because for sure it will be wrong. I believe she doesn’t mean to do that. Most of the time.

Now here she comes to inspect my new apartment, and hey, I think I have done pretty good for myself considering the circumstances, but sure, I am living pretty lean right now. Will she give me credit for what I’ve accomplished, or look down on me for the decisions I’ve made? I never know what to expect.

I love my mom. But to be honest, there’s a part of me that will always be a little tiny bit afraid of her. I think she would be angry to know that, on the outside, but some tiny part of her on the inside would be satisfied to know that’s still in there.

And here I sit, thinking, ‘there’s no way she could ever find my blog, right?’