There's an old saying: "You can pick your spouse, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your relatives." Given my relatives, I'd rather go booger-picking. Here's a rant...
Back in July, I was dragged off to PA to visit my in-laws (remember the House of Hell?). While there, my husband's aunt and her son showed up for a 2-hour overlap/visit. AuntM chirped on about how they were planning a vacation some time in August and might be in NC, where we live. USMCman and I smiled and said "Give us a call when you have your trip planned and we'll see if we can get together." And thought no more of it...
A phone message two days ago let us know that, "Hi, it's AuntM and we're leaving on our trip TOMORROW and hope to get together with you on Wednesday. Give us a call on my cell. Bye!"
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT? AuntM is a psychologist at a hospital. She doesn't just get to "take off for a trip" any time she pleases. She must have had her dates scheduled weeks in advance. Apparently, she didn't feel the need to ask US whether we were available, had plans, felt like company. No. They're ON THE WAY, AS WE SPEAK. They'll show up sometime next week and I'll be expected to drop everything to feed, entertain, and house them. (Because GOD ONLY KNOWS that nobody in my husband's family has ever heard the word 'hotel' before. No, they'd rather sleep on bare linoleum in my kitchen rather than pay $80 for their own bed, linens, and toilet paper at Holiday Inn Express.)
So, where are the foul wanderers? I don't know. We immediately called back and left a message on the cell's answering service--and she hasn't returned our call. Nice. As I told TIL in a phone-rant, the timing for this visit is NOT GOOD. Thing1 is starting school next week. USMCman is not scheduled to take off work at this short notice, so he will be at work. I have other plans, as well. They do NOT include "entertaining" AuntM and her son.
I find this whole situation intolerable. Unfortunately, we can't turn them away at the door. (As much as I'd like to!) USMCman is also annoyed and enraged. But how can we yell at a relative that we normally like, and rarely get to see? It's a no win situation. Yell and be damned, don't yell and have to suck it up.
What kind of thinking says that it's OK to just drop in on relatives?
This isn't the 1800s, for goodness sake, we do have phones, email, and
text. Am I the only one who has such thoughtless
relatives? Do you? What should I do?
