Sisters

I am the oldest of 5 girls in my family.
Or as my father would say, he has 5 goyils.

As I told you yesterday Rick and I name our neighbors.
Well I have done that to 2 of my sisters as well.
One is the Drama Queen, the other is the Victim.
The two of them are very much alike but they don't think so.

Yesterday my mom had open heart surgery.
It was to repair a valve, however while in there they discovered she also had a hole in her heart.
My mom is my step mom who is only 70 years old.
She hasn't been feeling well for awhile.
When I went home for her surprise birthday party I told her she was too young to be feeling this old. She just laughed. But thankfully she went to the doctor and this was all discovered.

Originally she was to have her valve repaired and they would enter from her ribcage. They said this would make the recovery time faster etc.
I'm sure the pain aspect of that would be better as well as being gutted like a fish.
But once in there they discovered a hole in her heart.
They then had to crack open her chest. Ouch! 
So this was a bit longer and more than expected.

Drama Queen was texting the sisters who live out of town after the last doctor's appointment. 
She made things much worse than they were.
I guess she figured we wouldn't be talking to Mom. 
So we all knew the real situation. But not after she gets everyone in a tizzy.
She lives for this stuff.

Yesterday she went into recovery to see her mom and my goodness I heard she was a basket case. My normal sister Jen said she was bat shit crazy hysterical as though she passed away.
Thankfully my mother won't recall any of this.
Mom really doesn't need that right now.
But Drama Queen makes everything worse than it is in all areas of her life and anyone elses. She makes drama where there is none. It's her new drug of choice. Yes, she is a drug addict as well. Which goes hand in hand with being a pathelogical liar.

It really is rather funny how she really believes some of the things that come out of her mouth. It still amazes me to this day.
You know they aren't the truth yet she can convince you they are. She's good.
Thankfully I've known her her whole life so I am not suckered into her web of lies. But most people don't see it. They see the charm until it's too late.
Her oldest 2 daughters goals in life were to "not be like my mother"
How sad of a statement is that? Thankfully they are bright, smart, hard working and not a thing like her. They have succeeded and that is because they were not raised by her but my parents, their grandparents. 

The Victim is a bitter old woman. She hates everything & everyone.
She can't see the beauty in the rose only the thorns.
God forbid you are a happy person she will make your life a living hell until you feel like shit and are miserable like her. If you aren't miserable by the time she is done with you this will go on and can for years. No kidding.
I have two sisters to vouch for that statement.
It's The Victim's job to point out to you how bad her life is.
If you are sick, she is more sick.
If your arm fell off, hers falling off was far worse and she will tell you why. She can make a monk who took a vow of silence scream out SHUT UP.
She can suck the life out of a room faster than a speeding bullet.

She will go on about how awful things only happen to her and no one else has it as bad. And most of all don't cross her. She will remember a version of what happened that will be much more grandiose than reality and will hold a grudge forever and make you pay. 
She is a walking toxic cloud. If she won 15 million dollars it wouldn't be a good thing to her. She would only bitch about how the IRS is raping her for taxes, how everyone wants some and how she had to change her life because of "these people"  Nothing is good for her.
She has nothing to do with all these things that happen to her. She is just a put upon victim. She wants your pity and you better damn well give it to her or you'll pay the price.

There are 3 of us that are normal. 
Alright, alright, that too can be debated I suppose.
We 3 deal with these two in our own ways.
This isn't an easy feat all the time but we all do what we need to do for self preservation.
When all together to outsiders we would seem like we all get along.
We do what we have to do to keep peace in a family.
But we don't go out of our way to spend time with them.

I wish this wasn't how it is in my family.
We sure can put the fun in dysfunctional a lot of times.
But overall we are fractured. This isn't Leave it To Beaver.

So now I have to go north to visit my Mom.
It causes my stomach to be in knots but I have to do it.
If it were just my parents it would be bad enough to have to listen to why I don't go to their church or never made babies etc.
But I can handle all that crap after 50+ years. 
But since Mom is ill the girls will be around.
It is the "two of them" I get sick thinking about.

Mom is in the hospital for a full week.
Her first week home Dad will be there for a week off work to help her out.
The Drama Queen lives with them but doesn't help or contribute to the household in anyway. She will find ways to never be home.
She does not work, cook, clean, do laundry etc.
So my job is to cook some meals for them, clean the house, do laundry and shop for them.
My father has always been helpless and honestly he is 84 I can do this for he and my mom. It's the least I can do for them.

Will there be drama? Of course.
That is why Margaret's stomach gets in a knot.
I don't like to deal with it all.
I will hear how my life is perfect from The Victim, how i get everything I want and how I don't understand anything because I live a charmed life.
And you all know that is true.
I don't work hard and everything is just handed to me.
I have no struggles in life and don't feel pain. I am super woman.
And let us not forget I will have to hear how The Victim's mother died. (yes she was my mother too but apparently that doesn't matter)
Her mother died and it has made her life difficult you know.

So I am heading to PA in a couple of weeks with a smile on my face as though I do live a charmed life and I have everything I want and need.
Just keep smilin' Peg, keep smilin' cause you are doing it for your parents.
You can ignore The Two.
Besides, you have a blog and you can vent about them and feel all better.
And I do.