Yesterday hubby called his brother to ask what he was going to get the parents for their 50th wedding anniversary (which happens in a few days).
They had hinted for the past 5 years about how nice it would be for everyone to meet in Arizona to celebrate the event. When pressed for details such as: Where in Arizona. When in Arizona. How long in Arizona. They were vague or non-responsive. Kinda hard to plan an event in a state when you don't even know WHERE in the state, or WHEN in the state.
As the year got closer, personal commitments, work commitments, lack of vacation, old sick dogs made it virtually impossible to plan any travel. When they were here, we both made it very clear that we had no vacation (since we were blowing it for their visit), and that travel was out of the question because we had no vacation, no spare money to fly anywhere, and we weren't about to kennel our 16 year old sickly dog. So, when asked what they would like for their anniversary, the answer was always a curt "nothing" since M wanted us to fly to Arizona (somewhere, sometime) for this big shindig she had planned in her head.
This afternoon we get a phone call from J.
"WE'RE FUCKED, WE'RE SO TOTALLY FUCKED!"
Always a good way to start off a conversation.
Apparently J just got off the phone with M. For Christmas, M and B have invited themselves out to J's house for a week... without telling him of course. Apparently during this announcement, M "let slip" how excited she was about the big surprise the boys were planning, and how she was certain that other relatives were in on the big surprise, because when she kept asking all the relatives about the big surprise, they claimed ignorance. Um... that's because there is no big surprise.
We've planned NOTHING. We haven't even gotten them a gift. Have no idea what to give them, but apparently now, nothing short of us jumping out at J's house with every living relative there is with all sorts of presents, decorations, and hoopla all directed at M will do.
We know that in her head there is a gala event planned that includes champagne, flowers, decorations, tons of people she hasn't seen in years, a veritable "this is your life" all directed at her.
What she'll get is J and his wife, their dogs jumping on them, and nothing. We're screwed.
Hubby seems to think that this is the thing that will send her over the edge. Her heart broken because she is unloved, she'll completely lose her mind (what's left of it) and sink into the depths of depression and waste away, shrivel up and die.
We are at a complete loss over how to rectify this situation. At least we're thousands of miles away, and we do feel for J and his wife... we have to think.... sucks to be them right now.
