The Final Straw

Yesterday...6:00 P.M.:Mother arrives at house with daughter and ex. Ex instantly begins screaming about how everybody better be ready to leave when she is. Daughter goes in exes room to burn CD for trip. (Son had been burning his own music, preventing daughter from taking care of hers.) Ex announces that she is ready to leave. I am looking for jacket that will provide some relative warmth in NY, son is finishing packing his clothes, daughter is still trying to burn CD. Ex goes out and starts car, begins to lean on horn. Knowing the child was not given enough time, I deliberately stall for time. (CD's for burning were not brought home until 4 P.M., son was burning his own music, daughter had gone to store with my mother, unaware that grandmother was going to pick up ex before returning home.)

Ex comes charging back into house. "I said let's f***ing go. I said I wanted to leave and if you ain't out in the f***ing car we're leaving you here." I whisper a silent prayer of thanks that I was in doorway of exes room when she came in otherwise things might have gotten uglier. Finally persuade daughter to give up music quest and come out to car. Get in car listen to 20 minute tirade about how she wanted to leave and how daughter had more than enough time to burn music. Kid is in tears, I try to explain lack of proper time to prepare music and am rebuffed as per usual. Ex continues to rag, kid continues to cry I try to reassure child and am accused of being to soft and told that she was raised to be hardened and that the child's crying should be stifled lest she be forced to pull off highway to "Kick her ass". (Considering I was in back seat, this event never would have occured. I have tanked for my daughter before and would have done it again.) Threat passes, silence ensues.

Drive for about two hours ex pulls off highway to get kid McDonalds. I see a Wawa and state that I would like to get a coffee. Ex deliberately passes Wawa and says "Oh, sorry missed driveway slot...No wait. I'm not sorry. F*** you and your f***ing Wawa." (Sidenote:As I am typing this sister called ex who is out at store with our mother and asked if she could pick up coffee for me and hot chocolate for her and is promptly berated for daring to ask for anything that has no direct relation to exes needs or wants.) We pull into McDonald's drive-thru child places order, ex pulls up to window.While being handed food she recieves text message. Hands the food to child and sits at drive-thru window texting in spite of the fact that there are others behind her in line. Curses as she has to move and curses again because the parking spot she wanted to pull into is now blocked by an old lady getting out of a car in the next spot. She demands to know why people insist on being in her way an angrily pulls into another spot. My mother announces she has to use facilities launching ex into another tirade about her time being wasted on our needs. Mother goes inside to take care of business, daughter announces that they have neglected to give her a straw for her shake. Ex declares that that is too bad and she'll have to suffer without. So I open my door and am asked "Where are you going now?" Upon hearing I am going to get the child a straw, she begins to utter a stream of profanities. Grab straw from inside go back out to car and am told that I better stop f***ing giving into that little bitch.

And she's going to wonder why when we get back to VA she's going to have a lot of explaining to do to a couple of agencies.