I'd just got done sending MIL a txt about a flier I got in the mail for a sale at a bromeliad nursery, seeing if they'd like to go with me. I said that if they didn't have the time to go to the brom sale that I'd still like to see them sometime to give them their Christmas presents.
About 30 seconds later, I got a message, and thought, "Man, that was a quick reply!" but it turned out to be H:
Cant make it 2nite. Dad is in hospital with heart probs again. Will let u kno when I can make it.
I'm inclined to believe he's not making it up, because he knows I'm still in contact with his parents so will find out the truth soon enough.
His dad has this thing which isn't stricktly a pacemaker, but it shocks his heart back into rhythm when it starts to play up. The last time I saw MIL she said that the latest doctor's report, (all the info from the machine in FIL's chest gets fed directly to the doc's computer...all very high tech) was that his heart had actually stopped twice in recent months, but the thing had shocked it back into action.
So I'm gonna believe that H isn't just making up an excuse not to come over. I figure I'll get a reply to the txt I sent MIL soon enough, and that'll tell me for sure whether or not H is lying, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and I hope his dad is OK.
Me:30 H:30 Together:10yr H left:Oct3'06,couple weeks before 5th wed anniv. No Kids OW bomb:Jan19'07 My thread: He filed.
MIL came over today to do the Christmas present thing. While she was here she gave me a copy of her book of poetry....an actual, real, published, might be sold in a retail chain book! She's wanted to do it practically all her life, and now she has.
I was really surprised that she hadn't mentioned it the last couple of times we'd seen each other, but when she mentioned the book launch which was last week, it all became clear. Paraphrasing: "I'd loved to have invited you, and I agonised over it, but H was there, and so was OW, and..." and then she didn't really finish the sentence. I know what she was going to say was, "...and OW's mother," because if you recall, OW is the daughter of one of MIL's oldest friends, (but I haven't told anyone in H's family that I've figured out who OW is, as far as they know, I only know her first name and nothing more about her), and she'd invited a whole bunch of people from her past to the book launch, so of course OW's mother was there as well.
Anyway, she mentioned a couple of times that she'd wished I could have been there, but she figured it would probably have been incredibly uncomfortable. She was genuinely apologetic, but I just agreed with her decision not to invite me and I said I understood, which I did, but it also got me angry (again), not at MIL, but at OW for being there in the first place, meaning I couldn't go. I kinda wish I had have been on the ball enough to say something like, "Yeah, that coulda gotten ugly!" (in a joking fashion ), but I was so caught off guard by it all that I couldn't really think of much to say.
The middle pages of the book are a colour panel of a photo of a "memory table" that one of my SIL made years ago. She took photos of all the family over the years and collaged them all onto a little table. Anyway, the reason I'm mentioning it is that I'm included in those photos which are in the image that makes up the centrepiece of the book, because H and I had been together for a couple of years when the collage was made. There are also some photos I took in MIL's garden several years ago, and they're scattered amongst the pages as well. I'm rather chuffed about all of that, but at the same time it annoys me even more that I couldn't be at the book launch, considering some of my photos are actually in the book!
Practically the whole family was there, so if they hadn't met OW before, they have now. I hope at least some of them gave her the evil eye.
When she was telling me about what happened with FIL and his heart attack, I mentioned that that was the day H was going to come over, and she said she'd had no idea, so I guess H doesn't mention me at all when he's speaking to his parents.
I sent Christmas cards to all the family the other day, and then the day after sending them I actually got a phonecall from one of my BIL to thank me for the card, which was lovely and completely unexpected.
I emailed a couple of friends the other day, the ones who made an effort to keep in contact with me somewhat after H left. It's their daughter's 1st birthday on Christmas Eve, and even though I haven't seen them for several months, I still got her a little present. So I emailed them both to see if we could set up a time to catch up in the not too distant future. That was a few days ago, and I haven't gotten replies from either of them yet, which is kinda getting me down. I know it's a crazy time of year though, (particularly for them with a birthday party to organise as well as Christmas), so it'd be understandable if it's slipped their mind to get back to me, but still, it doesn't do much for your positive attitude when people forget about you.
I got in contact with an old friend this past week. I'd been to a concert, (think: string instruments playing in a dimly lit cathedral...it was really beautiful) and thought that this friend of mine would love it, and there was gonna be another performance the following night, so I thought I'd try and track her down, (haven't spoken to her for a couple of years). I managed to find an old phone number I had for her, but when she didn't answer and there wasn't any voicemail set up, I just sent a txt saying that if it was her, could she reply to me. Anyway it was her, and she got back to me too late to go to the concert, but I ended up sending her this big email telling her all about the sitch with H, and then we ended up having a 2 hour phone conversation the other night.
In completely unrelated news, how awesome is it that they're finally gonna be making "The Hobbit" into a movie?!?! *crosses all her fingers and toes that Peter Jackson does end up directing it*
(Was that post technicolour enough? I figure it makes it easier to read through when each different topic stands out by being a different colour.)
Me:30 H:30 Together:10yr H left:Oct3'06,couple weeks before 5th wed anniv. No Kids OW bomb:Jan19'07 My thread: He filed.
), but I was so caught off guard by it all that I couldn't really think of much to say.
