Morning all, running slow today and desperately wanting coffee. I can smell it snaking through the air and calling me in. So let’s get going on the morning prompt before I heed it’s call. Ready? Excellent, let’s begin.
Not at all sure I like this. I like the making a break and trying to escape aspect, but it took me a while to figure out what I was writing and so everything seems stiff. I may take the idea and wok on it after a little more thought. But this wasn’t my favorite.
Wednesday, June 22nd: I was dreading the meeting.
I was dreading the meeting. In fact I put it off several times. Now it was unavoidable and I was still looking to escape. I knew what the outcome would be. They would sit there, their plan outlined and expect me to go along with whatever it is they had planned.
The thought that I would refuse would not even enter their minds. The fact that I had other plans would not have even been a part of a notion. The fact that I did have other plans and wouldn’t be able to become involved in any sort of scheme would also be viewed as irrelevant.
To be honest, I thought of not attending. ‘Just because it is a mandatory family meeting doesn’t mean that it is actually mandatory,’ I reminded myself. Still at the appropriate time I found myself in the car, driving out to the house. I was the only one who needed to drive, everyone else lived within easy walking distance.
The family grew and all took houses in the same area. I drove along the street and realized that at least a third of the houses belonged to those I called family. Truth be told most of them married in and were step family at best.
I knew I just had to get through the meeting with a noncommittal frame of mind. Soon I would be gone. Most of my stuff was already packed. I hadn’t told anyone. Those who knew of the upcoming move weren’t in contact with my family at all.
Still as I pulled into the drive, I wondered if they knew. I wondered if that was what this meeting was about. If this was an ambush about me leaving. I parked and went in. I took my place at the back of the gathering. This wasn’t a house I ever lived in, momma moved in when she married Roy. I was well out of the house by then and had been for years. Still it was home for everyone else. I tried not to feel like a visitor. It didn’t work so I tried not to show that I felt like a visitor. It soon became clear that the meeting was about vacation plans. I tried not to show any signs of relief.
They wanted to rent a house on the beach for two weeks and wanted everyone to chip in. It would be fifty dollars apiece to hold the rental.
They named the date. I told them I wasn’t available. They told me to check the calendar and that I should still kick in in case my work plans changed. I wasn’t sure how my set work schedule could change. However by then I just wanted to leave. I had things to do and was more interested in doing them than arguing about the cash. By cobbling together all the cash I had on me, including the change from my coin purse, I was able to hand over my share of the deposit.
I knew work wouldn’t change and they knew it as well, but they took the money.
I decided I wasn’t going to tell them I was moving. I wasn’t going to give them my new address. As soon as I paid the money, I was sent on my way as there were plans in motion. Roy had an appointment somewhere and the group broke up. I left as always feeling like I had been used and dismissed. I told myself it didn’t matter. In a few days, I would be across the country, well out of summoning range. As I drove back to my already packed apartment, I wondered if a new phone number was also in order. Perhaps a clean break was exactly what I needed.
Ten til Midnight 