the heap

Just a warning, this is a long post so grab a drink bourbon, vodka, beer, wine, whiskey, scotch, gin, grain mash of your choice and settle in.

The alarm went off at a very early hour today and I rolled over and slapped the snooze. It was way too early to consider rising. I admit my unemployed ass soul has been getting used to sleeping in past eight every morning. Joey stirred and asked what time it was. After a few attempts at snooze she got up. I was cold and she turned on the heating pad and put it next to me to keep me warm while she went to put on the coffee. I buried deeper into the comforter. If I ‘d known what was to become of this day I very well would have not gotten up. We were to go to the doctor why we were getting up so early.

Lately, Joey has been in a considerable amount of pain. Seems the third medication in the series of TNF blockers hasn’t done shit failed to do its job. We were back to square one again and the doctor had worked her into an early morning appointment. When the doctor does this we never know just how long we are going to be there. We brought egg McMuffin’s, coffee and our laptops prepared to camp out. The man in the chair next to Joey in the waiting room was snoring and talking in his sleep. I had no idea how long I was going to be able to manage listening to that and cursed myself for not bringing my ipod. Fortunately, his wife came out and woke him up and they left. As they closed the door to the office Joey and I said in unison “Thank.God!” A woman sitting across the office texting on her phone looked up and gave us a dirty look. I filled out a job application while in the waiting room and made a few calls before being called into the back room to speak to the doctor. Medication was changed, the latest TNF was paused while we try to get on a program for another one – the daddy expensive one of them all that insurance companies normally wouldn’t pay for Remicade.  

Leaving the office with scripts and samples in hand Joey wanted to go by her parents house to get some of her stuff. She didn’t want to go there if her sister is there. [If you are new to this blog you may want to review this post so you get the gist of how much of an abusive bitch she is the dynamics of the relationship.] I needed to go drop off the job application I filled out. I left her in the car to ponder that while I went inside to talk to the assistant manager. By the time I got back in the car she had decided she wanted to go despite her sister being there as it was going to be her only chance to get her stuff. 

Some back-story is that her parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce right now and their house is being foreclosed. Her father and sister still live in the house and have not moved any of their stuff out. I suspect that they will just foreclose with the stuff still there and the only way to get the sister out is for the sheriff to serve a bench warrant. There also is the small minor detail of Joey’s mom taking her sister to court for child support (very long story there). But, you get the gist of it – not a good scene to be walking in to. I griped that she had had all this time to go through her stuff and why now under these circumstances. I also griped that far be it from her mom or dad to actually do anything for her to possibly put the stuff aside or even take it to her mom’s apartment so she could go through it. But, alas no one in Joey’s family thinks of anything but themselves and their own fucked up world. Before we got there her dad called to assure that he had spoken to her sister and she agreed to be civil. We pulled up and walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Sister actually answered the door and let us in. I felt like we were walking into a minefield. There was stuff everywhere, nothing had been boxed up or cleaned. Her sister’s youngest child who she still has custody of ran out with a drawing to show us. He had grown since we last saw him. I felt sorry for him. Joey’s dad came out to the living room and led her back to the bedroom to show her where her stuff was. I followed and stood between her and him. I should have stayed there, actually. He asked her to promise that she wouldn’t start anything with her sister, either. I thought this was ludicrous. When the hell had Joey ever done anything to anyone in her family? If they would see beyond their noses they might notice that she can barely walk and get around let alone go up against her sister that’s as huge as an amazon. I was getting angry and wanted to leave. Her dad motioned me downstairs, through the garage and out the back door to show me this Queen of the Night he had growing in a pot. He wanted me to take it and put it in the house. I was shaking my head saying no I had cats, etc. and the whole time I was wanting to get back inside. I did not want to leave Joey’s side. I walked back inside and found her pulling boxes out of the closet. Her mom was standing there with a very angry look on her face. I asked her how her job at Wal-Mart was going and she said it sucked. I wanted to say that at least she had a job. I grabbed a couple of boxes and told Joey that I was going out to put them in the car. As I walked out of the house I heard her mom start to yell at her dad. I threw the boxes into the car thinking I had to get inside and get Joey out of there before all hell broke loose. I ran up the stairs and opened the door. They were arguing in front of the door. I edged in and around them as her mom hauled off and smacked her dad across the face. I heard her screaming, him and her sister yelling. I didn’t care if they killed each other but over my dead body where they going to touch my future wife. I ran into the bedroom and said, “Apparently, we were the only ones sworn to be civil. We have to go – now!”  Joey agreed as I picked up the last two boxes all at once and ran out with her behind me. Her mom stormed out the front door shouting over her shoulder that we had to move our car because she was leaving. [Really? Why not stay and have tea?] I said that we were right behind her and that we would move. As we got down to the car her mom started her van and started reviving it. Joey said, “Just throw it in and I will be in by the time you get around.” I jumped in, started the car and threw it into reverse and backed up only I stopped to see if anyone was coming before going out of the driveway. Joey said, “You’d better go because she’s still coming.” I looked forward and she was right – her mom was heading right for the car and I floored it out of the driveway narrowing missing from getting plowed into. I was like “What.The.Fuck. I cannot believe your mom almost hit us!” My pulse was racing, my adrenaline pumping and my back sore from picking up those two boxes. I was pissed and then sad. Pissed at their behavior, pissed that her mom almost hit us [I mean her daughter was in the car that she almost ran over for key-rist-sakes!] Sad that anyone would want to hurt my sweet little Joey physically and mentally. 

My breathing and pulse didn’t return to normal until we were almost to I-285. As we passed the sign that had name of my old boss I flipped it off. [The reason there is a sign with his name on it is because he built the interchange when he was a Nazi Gestapo DOT commissioner.] That felt good. I will take whatever I can get in that department these days. We rolled into our neighborhood and I dropped Joey off to shop while I went to the pharmacy to pick up the new meds. I called Laura and told her what happened. After hanging up, Doug the pharmacist asked how I was today and I just shrugged. He said I could do better than that and I shrugged again and handed him the list of drugs to fill. I was afraid if I opened my mouth I would start crying. When I picked Joey up she told me her niece had just called yelling at her because she didn’t stick up for her Mom. I asked her if she told her that her mom had tried to kill us with the van. She said she did and that the niece had hung up on her. I told her that I would have her number changed if anyone from her family decided to contact her in the next century. She said it was fine that she would answer when hell froze over. We then decided to go to the grocery store to get ice cream [for her] and beer [for me] and take it over to Laura’s to finish watching the rest of the Tudor’s. 

Later, at home Joey unloaded the car of her stuff. There were baby pictures of the boy, yearbooks and various mementos that she wanted. She showed me a picture of her in her first wedding dress and I said that it was worth it just to get that picture. I remembered being at her grandmother’s funeral and seeing a small version of that picture on a board and wanting to peel it off and put it in my pocket.

Thursday is supposed to be the only nice day this week and I think I’m getting out on the motorcycle for a day in the Georgia Mountains. I need a break. Anyway, that’s our day. Have another drink. I think I will, too.