I question whether I could be kinder. Whether I should be kinder. Whether, once (twice?) rejected, I have the right to simply opt-out now.
I am tempted to say nothing, or to speak only platitudes. That would be so easy, to nod and abide by her mantra of “we’ll see what happens”.
But we’ve seen what has happened. What has happened, on the golden child’s watch. The golden child who only ever tells her what she wants to hear. Until the police and social workers are listening.
Silence might be a kindness in the moment. But his complicity in the fantasy that everything is alright is how we got to here.
So, I make the phone calls, I make the decisions, and I take her complaints and accusations. I am bombarded. Yet I stand. Because, if I am not my mother’s keeper, then who?
Written for the dVerse prosery prompt: no more than 144 words of prose including the line “I am bombarded yet I stand”.
anotherKate 
Excellent post. Tricky subject!👍
Thanks Hobbo 🙂
This is beautifully written. Very haunting.
Thanks Worms. ❤
This really captures the difficulty of being that golden child
hmm, maybe… But I think in this case the golden child had it too easy for too long, and never learnt to be responsible for himself so wasn’t capable of being responsible for others when they needed it.
in square circle
we seek to jerk
the ivory tower
has demi semi seeming power
we not HIm
so go well
and forgive
and live to tell the tale
well done!
reminds of a song by rapsody – ‘so difficult to choose’
great song! I hadn’t heard it before – thanks for sharing that
It’s a tough gig and soon they are telling you “It’s not fair!” Life comes full circle and many of us will get our turn.
I guess it does. My mother has taken to telling other people that I’m mean, and bossy and trying to take her house… including to the cleaners I was paying for for her before she had a fall and spent 3 days on the floor before I raised the alarm and sent someone around to check on her. Now she’s in hospital complaining about me to nurses. The fall was after I wrote this. So “we’ll see what happens” has since happened even more.
It’s hard to say whether parents or kids are worse!