I Love Lucy

My sister, Lucy, called me last night.  Quite early for her...she lives in Denver and usually calls me after 10 my time and wants to talk a minimum of two hours.  After 10, I have nothing to say, essentially, in a vegetative state.  I had only had four hours sleep the night before and had just gotten back from a rendezvous that required a two hour drive home.  I walked in at 8:30 and Lucy's number appeared on my iPhone.  I briefly toyed with not answering it, but it was early and she had been trying to get in touch with me for over a week, so I took a deep breath and answered.

Wondering why I was hesitant?  I admit I rarely speak with my siblings.  There are usually only two reasons they call:  1) money and 2) getting information for my mother so she can add fuel to the berating fire.

This call was slightly different but I don't rule out #2.  My sister wanted to know if I had said she was lazy and couldn't keep a job.  Laughable, completely laughable.  This exactly why I don't ever weigh in on the family gossip.  It comes back to haunt me EVEN WHEN I DON'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING!

I haven't seen my sister in four years.  I met her in 2007 at my mother's house in North Carolina and whisked her away to Hilton Head Island.  She hadn't had a vacation in decades and this didn't figure to be much of one for her either.  At the time, she was doing PR work for a local governmental agency; they called her at least 10 times a day.

The year before, she was invited to my older daughter's wedding on Jekyll Island, Georgia.  Oh, the drama....is she coming or isn't she??  It was all about the job.  She wanted to but she didn't think they would let her.  So, we didn't know until she actually walked down the aisle slightly ahead of the bride.

Two months after her 'vacation' to Hilton Head, she was fired.  She was 'too expensive' for them...downsizing had begun and she was one of its first victims.  Hasn't had a full time job since.  This is not someone without skills...she is an outstanding writer and very talented artist.  She was employed by Newsweek; she's worked for Colorado's major newspapers; she's been a major player in several local and state political campaigns.

For four years, she's been doing free lance work, trying to eke out a living.  Every cent of her retirement went into desperately trying to save her house in Colorado Springs.  Gone, gone, gone.  Lost to foreclosure.  Now, she's living in an apartment in Denver; her daughter hasn't been able to finish college.

Trust me, this is not a lazy person.  She's been scrambling all of life.  I ask her the background on the comment that was attributed to me.  My mother had been in Florida visiting and said it came from one of my cousins.  This particular cousin has no idea about Lucy's work history and hasn't talked to her in decades.  When she asked my mother where he would get this from, she said it was from ME?!

This is what my mother does.  She pits her children against each other.  It foments division.  There's no trust among us.  My sister and brother need my mother so she can rescue them financially.  There are always strings, but they are inheriting her house.

I'm inheriting my freedom.

Tennessee Williams, eat your heart out!!!