Welcome to my life

Since when was it a horrible thing to get an A minus? Last I heard it was still considered an A, but my mother begs to differ.

            “You’re unbelievable Sam! Your father works his a*s of for this family! Why can’t you have more of his work ethic? You think you’re going to make it through life making A minuses?” my mother Linda yelled, and after a long sigh, “I just can’t handle anymore disappointment Sam, I just can’t.”

            Over the years I’ve come to find there is just no way to please such an incorrigible woman. It’s not like I’m failing the eleventh grade, this was only my second A minus. It’s not my fault my English teacher thought my essay on transcendentalism was a bit too dry for her liking. I doubt my mother received straight A’s all throughout high school. My grandparents have always been on the cooler side of things, I can’t imagine they had rubbed off on her, but if they did, it certainly bounced off. And who is she to say my work ethic isn’t like my father’s? My father’s work ethic is like no other, it’s next to impossible to match him. He’s usually gone before I even get up in the morning and he then returns home just in time to make dinner. It’s totally beyond me how he manages his heavy load of work and my mother’s high demands.

            “Yes Linda, I understand,” My father would say. “I’ll get right on that Linda, would you mind taking over dinner tonight? I’ve got to go pay the bills.”

            “You haven’t paid the bills yet? And what makes you think I can take over dinner?” My mother would say. She doesn’t cook often, the last time she used the stove she made spaghetti and we all ended up getting food poisoning from the meatballs, they were more like “raw-balls.”

            Aside from family matters, my boyfriend Jason and I have been together going on two years! Just three more days and eight hours left until our two year anniversary, I’m just a tiny bit over excited. Call me crazy, but my horoscope tells me to expect the unexpected in the upcoming week. But Jason is so predictable, so I don’t know how he would relate to that. A proposal would be unexpected, but Jason is far from bold, maybe a puppy? My mother would freak.

             For last year’s anniversary he borrowed his parent’s boat and set up a candle light dinner out on the bay and surprised me with a promise ring. So there’s no telling what’s in store for this go around.

            “Hello Sammy,” Jason said softly as he crept up behind me.

            “Hello to you too,” I responded followed by a kiss. “How was the ski trip?”

            “Oh, yeah, it was fun, very cold,” he cleared his throat. “So I hear Danielle’s soon to be in town,” he said. Danielle is my sister, well, half sister if you want to get all technical. She drops in every once in a while bringing loads of drama right along with her, t­his time she’s engaged. Ugh, and my mother couldn’t be happier about it. Danielle is an angel child, every mother’s dream, obedient, straight A student, college graduate, has a great job at a car dealership, she’s scored Mr. Right, and did I mention she was a straight A student? She couldn’t make me look blander and I think she does it on purpose.

            “Where’d you hear that from?” I asked, unsure about how he knew about her erratic visit before I did.

            “I overheard your parents talking about it when I walked in,” he explained.

            I sighed and then turned to look out of my window. The sun was just beginning to set, my favorite time of day. I opened the window to let the sweet spring breeze flow into my room.

            “You know you don’t have to beat yourself up about her visit,” Jason whispered as he walked behind me and put his arms around my waist. “She’ll be in and out of here before you know it.”

            It was easier to think of it that way than to actually suffer through the long drawn out conversations about how many cars she’s sold or when I’m going to buy a new car so she could give me some good pointers. She was so phony it made me sick. It was going to be a long week.

            “Crap, I’m late. I’ve, uh, gotta run,” Jason said. “I just wanted to stop by and say hello.”

            “Hello.” I smiled.

            “Love you,” he whispered in my ear and then hesitantly kissed me before taking off down the stairs.

            That’s strange. What was he late for? I turned back to my window to watch him get into his car. I couldn’t help but smile. He was the best thing that has happened to me ever since my father’s new job with IBM required the big move from Alabama. It was hard leaving Tuscaloosa. I missed fishing with my father at Lake Tuscaloosa every Sunday. I missed walking around Midtown Village with Danielle, back when she was sincere and came to visit from her father’s house in Montgomery. I especially missed my old mother, she used to be pleasant and a joy to be around. When we left, it felt like we left ourselves there too. Ever since we’ve lived in Corpus Christi, my family has been slowly falling apart. I barely ever see my father anymore, he’s always at his job or on the phone conversing with a co-worker and my mother joined an overly-zealous Home Owner’s Association, and ever since then it’s become second nature to her to point out other people’s problems.

            “Samantha Elaine!” my mother snapped me back into reality. “Your father and I need to speak with you!”

            “What did I do now?” I sighed to myself.

            By the time I reached my parents, my mother had already put on her happy-go-lucky façade, but my father revealed all of their stress. He was a very hard working man. He did more than my mother even put her mind to, which wasn’t much. He’s the main source of support to this quasi-family, my mother just added unnecessary anxiety most of the time.

            “Danielle and her new fiancé Luke will be arriving on Tuesday,” she began. “And your father and I would like you to get the bonus room ready with blankets and pillows on the two pull out sofas so they will have a place to stay.”

            It was only Sunday. Did it really need setting up two days ahead of time? She has been here many times before and I’m pretty sure she knows where everything is, besides they’ll probably end up in the same bed anyway.