Unbelievable

I went to NJ this past weekend to help my in-laws with the ongoing cleanup from the flood. Russ (my hub) had gone a couple weeks ago and did a lot of work for them. While I was there, they bought us a new-to-us car. An incredibly generous act and we are beyond grateful, but this post isn't really about that. I will save that story for my other (non mother related) blog. Anyway, while I was there my FIL told me that he thinks my MIL is developing Alzheimer disease. He says he has seen a decline in the past 2-3 years. I of course told him we'd help in any way we can (that's what families do right?) and we'd try to move closer as soon as we can. Not sure if I mentioned on here that we are trying to move away from here to be further from my mother and closer to my in-laws. We've noticed her forgetfulness but to hear him say it was still a shock to say the least. My husband is of course devastated by the possibility.

Anyway, when I got home last night with the car Russ and John were excited to take it for a ride. Russ suggested we take it to show my parents. I knew he wanted to rub it in a little. Spiteful perhaps, but I agreed. Before I tell you how it went, let me provide this little tidbit of information: if someone gets something, my mother must get a better one. If something happens to someone, my mother is somehow connected to it. If someone gets sick, my mother is sicker than they are. Do you see where this is going? Because I didn't, even though maybe I should have. When we showed her the car and told her Russ's parents had bought it for us, she said "I thought they would buy you a house and then Jay (my brother, the golden child) could have yours."  My in-laws do have quite a bit of money but the price of a house (especially in NJ) is significantly higher than that of a used car. And would she expect us to just give Jay our house? You bet she would. I will write more about my brother another time. He's a story in and of himself. After that, Russ stayed outside to check out the motor of the car and John and I went inside. She asked me again if I thought they would buy us a house and I said "I don't really think so but we need to move closer to them." She said "you need to? Why?" I said "well Don (FIL) thinks Mary (MIL) is developing Alzheimers. A normal reaction to this kind of news would be "that's awful" or "how terrible" or something along those lines. That would certainly be my reaction. Not my mother though. Her reaction? Wait for it...she LAUGHED and said "me and Dad have that too! Last night we were putting together a shelf and we forgot where we put the screws." Just when I think there are limits that even my mother won't sink to, she does. I was too stunned to really know how to answer that but believe me I thought of lots of things afterwards. Thank God Russ wasn't there when she said it, no telling what he would have said or done. When he came in, I said "we have to go" and we left. When I told him, I thought he was going to turn the car around and go back and tell her off but he said there was no point because she would never see or admit that she had said anything wrong. I am still stunned that anyone (even my mother) could be that callous and ignorant. Truly unbelievable.