All In The Family

Let me tell you what I have learned so far about my extended family. My brother in law (and you have no idea how much it takes for me to call him that) doesn’t live with his wife or his children. He lives with his mother (who he is said to also beat, but I don’t know) more than twenty miles away. When the police called him, the morning they rushed my mother in law to the hospital, he said he had to walk to the bank to get money to take the bus, so it would be a while before he could get there. Guess that’s why they called me.

He said he lives with his mother because it’s closer to (1) his job. He said he has to go to work to (2) take care of his family. He said he had to be the one to (3) support them and (4)no one else is gonna do it. He said he (5) pays the bills in that house and no one is gonna (6) take his kids no matter what they think, those are HIS kids—all nine of them.

Let’s look at this, shall we?

But first, I guess we should give this guy a name. I’m tired of calling him my brother in law for more reasons than one, and so we shall call him Fool. Yep, that’s right, Fool. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen that movie “People Under the Stairs.” Though that Fool has discernable differences than our Fool (about fifty years), the term still applies.

1) So Fool says he lives with his mother because it’s closer to his job and that he can take the bus from there. But we find out, through his older step sons (yep my sister in law—from hence forth known as Hopeless—has 2 older children, so that makes 11 kids in that house,) who he really doesn’t get along with, and that he hasn’t worked in over a month—the exact time, in fact, that his wife has been in jail. Let him tell it, he has been working tirelessly trying to get Hopeless out. Hopeless still sits in jail, though other efforts have been tried, with really bad outcomes. But not only is Fool not working, but he doesn’t seem to have a Marta card. For those who don’t know, Marta is Atlanta’s transit system. It’s easy and simple and fairly cheap—if you use it regularly AND have a card you can save a bundle. But our Fool was headed to the bank so that he could get money ($1.75) for bus fair. Poor Fool.
2) Fool said that he takes care of his family. Well his family is receiving government assistance and housing (which he says they most definitely are NOT). It takes a lot to feed 11 children and most people couldn’t do it alone, but not only does he manage this, but he manages it WITHOUT a job.
3-4) We know Fool doesn’t support them, but he said no one else will. Well, right now, my husband, and my mother and brother in law are all doing just that. Not to mention that government whom he is quite certain is not helping him.
5) The bills—the water was just shut off. The lights are next.
6) Now this one is funny and really needs no comment from me, so I’ll just say one thing. How in the hell does Fool think he can keep the government out of his house when there is no adult or food, and now no water in that house? Poor Fool.

Recently my brother-in-law called my home and told me he was on his way to bring food and milk for his children. Of course he was a no show. Just didn’t bother coming.

I hate that. More to the point, I hate people who do that. What kind of person lies and says they’re on the way and have no plans of showing up? Do they think you won’t notice? They know they’re not coming, they just don’t bother telling you. Not only are they lying about what they will do, but they’re lying about what they are actively (on the way) doing that moment. “I’m on the way.” Mean while, you go to the front door thinking they should pull up any minuet. And you get a call:

“I’m in my car now. Yes. Yes, I’m passing the Citco on the right, and the Blockbuster’s on the left. I could stop, do you want movies. Oh, yeah, I see Kroger, I could pick up a pizza. Did you want me to stop? No probably not a good idea since—well, I’m NOT ACTUALLY ON THE WAY.

Yep and he takes care of his kids, right?
I say “poor fool.” I should have said, poor children.