We Are Family

I've mentioned before that my parents are both very supportive and always have been throughout whatever I'm going through in my life. Army Boy's deployments, stressful pregnancies, sickness, divorce. My parents have their flaws (as we all do) but I'm extremely fortunate to have them in my life and as my children's grandparents.

My mother-in-law lives in the other half of my parents' duplex. She's still family even though her son is an asshole (and I'm sure she would agree with that at this point). My brother-in-law has been living with his mother while he's on summer vacation from college. He's an alternative student and went back to college in his 30's. So we are one big, not so happy, dysfunctional family living under one roof - for the summer at least until college starts and the kids and I move back home. My parents, the kids and I are separated by a wall from my soon-to-be-ex-in-laws but I can hear when my brother-in-law takes a shower (and flushes the toilet), and they can hear when the kids yell and run around. It's a strange situation but it is what it is.

My brother-in-law is moving back to an unfurnished apartment at college next week. Since neither he nor my mother-in-law own a truck, they turn to the person they know that has one. My dad. So my dad will be helping my soon-to-be-ex-brother-in-law move into a new apartment next week. Army Boy will be MIA of course, not just because my father or mother might physically maim him if they see him but also because if there's something to be done for someone in his family, Army Boy is always conveniently busy. Army Boy likes taking assistance from others, but offering assistance, yeah, that's not one of his strong points. (Does he have any strong points? I'm not sure, but I digress.)

My father told me that he would help my brother-in-law move this time. But, when the times comes in the spring for him to move out, my dad said that he's not sure he'll be so willing to help then. My dad said, 'I might be so angry at your husband that I want nothing to do with anybody in that family.' I know my dad doesn't really mean that completely, he would never throw my mother-in-law out in the streets. But it's just one more slice of the shit sandwich that we're all eating here due to Army Boy being such a POS.