What a Difference a Year Makes

And so, right or wrong, Joe threatens to worm his way into the holiday celebration with this little tale of woe, whether the threat to him his real or feigned.

This we know:

- Joe's wife is a shrew and is perfectly capable of doing something as awful as this without a moment of guilt.

- Estelle is aware. Hence all the documenting.

- Joe is blissfully unaware of the potential for his life to completely unravel before his eyes and is more focused on being mad at his wife. He has no idea that if she goes through with her threats, his life will become incredibly difficult and unhappy and she will relish every turn of the screw.

- As good Catholic people who strive to see the face of Christ in others, Charlotte and I should be embracing and supporting our brother in his time of need. Yet we struggle to be able to even form the words “Why don’t you come for Christmas?" for all the choking on the bile.

- Estelle is manipulative enough to use the last two points to pressure either Charlotte or me into caving and extending an invitation to Joe.

Invited or not, Joe will dominate the holiday, with either his horrifying depiction of these latest events over too many cocktails and overly loud conversation, or by so consuming our mother (who now, no doubt is on a mission that surpasses the enormity of anything NASA ever undertook) that she does nothing else but ramble on and on about Joe or his shrew wife, again, over too many cocktails and overly loud conversation.

She will start with Charlotte since she’s hosting Christmas Eve. If Charlotte caves, (and I am sure she won’t unless the Blessed Mother comes walking right into her living room declaring that she is revoking the Get Out of Hell Free card this instant unless she does) then I will just have to endure the warping effects it will all have on the holiday celebration, and have to explain the essence of my brother to Scott, who will be surprised to learn that Joe is not at all like his two high-functioning sisters, and he should not expect to find a pal.

If Charlotte holds her ground, Estelle will hit me up for a little hospitality. And while it would be safe to assume that I have a pretty good excuse not to have any guests (I have the kids until noon on Christmas Day and then will bee-line it to Scott’s directly from the curb in front of Lars’ house), I really don’t. Not if you are Estelle.

No. She will think it is perfectly fine to assume she can come to your home when you are not there, turn up your heat, prepare a nice meal in your kitchen, rifle through your papers and mail and belongings and invite Joe and his three unruly children over for a few hours. Again, to take the usual liberties with your home, your possessions, and all manner of hospitality.

And this is precisely what she’d suggested last year, and exactly where the fight began.

I feel an encore performance coming on.