The Straw

10:15 my phone rings. It's my brother. Oh, shit!

My brother is on my list of people who I can call after a certain time, or can call me, but he never calls. Anyone. Texting was meant for people like him.

He's calling because he's done with work early and can't get a hold of Mom to pick him up. I tell him to try a few more times and I would try, too. If we can't get her, then I would pick him up. I call her cell. It rings a few times and goes to voice mail.

Now I've always been under the assumption that if your phone is off or you're in a place where you don't get reception, it goes straight to voice mail. I think my assumption may be wrong, but regardless, I am freaking the fuck out!

My brother calls back and I said I would get him. I just needed a few minutes to change out of my jammies (I'm a mom - I'm allowed to use that term!). I send my mom a quick text just in case and get in the car. No sooner do I start the car when I hear a ding. I have a message. It's from my mom. She can pick him up.

That's fine and dandy, but where the fuck has she been for the last half hour?!

She then calls to explain that my brother was scheduled to work until 11 and she thought she had time to go out, no doubt with her "friend". She walked out the door and saw the messages on her phone. She then asks if I left yet. I say no so she asks "Who's closer?". We've both lived in our respective neighborhoods long enough to know that where she was is halfway between my house and my brother's work. Obviously she's closer.

At this point I am fuming! I understand that she wasn't expecting him to get off early and thought she had some time to go out. What really gets under my skin is that her family seems to come second when it comes to her "friend". Her reaction was like "Oh! I guess I should do the mom thing and not pawn that off on someone else."

That reaction is the straw that broke the camel's back.

This is not the first time I have felt used. Or blown off, but that's another story. I know my brother has issues with this topic, too. Even though we're both adults and know she can do what she wants with her life, I think there's some jealousy there. I get that she wants to be selfish and have "her" time. After all, she spent a good part of her life raising us kids. But that doesn't mean we need to feel less important just because someone else came along.