Out of Pocket by Debby Mayne

Author:Debby Mayne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2019-09-04T16:00:00+00:00

25

Marge

I’m worried about our upcoming reunion, with all the turmoil surrounding what’s happened with Julius. Bucky is still in denial about his son, but Marybeth acknowledges they need some counseling. However, she still wants to protect Julius from the world. Unfortunately, most folks, including family members, still feel the world needs to be protected from Julius.

At least now, Julius is at home, grounded, and without a car. Bucky wants to get him one, but Jay keeps reminding him that things will continue to be the same unless someone stops the madness. I suspect there’s more to what Jay said than that, but he’s not telling me—which is probably a good thing.

It seems that there’s always a lot of mayhem leading up to the reunions, which is one of the reasons I’ve thought it might be a good idea to take a break from them for a while. But Jay seems to think the family might fall apart if we don’t pull them together every once in a while.

“We have to remind them who they are and where they come from,” is his standard argument.

Sometimes it’s just easier to go along with his wishes than argue. Plus he works so hard to make me happy and to take care of the family that I think he deserves this special time to see all of them together. Maybe part of it is his facing his own mortality. Every once in a while, someone will stay home, but most of them have learned that they’ll pay later.

In our family, if someone doesn’t attend, folks assume they’re sick, and they start having impromptu visits, getting cards in the mail, and receiving meals on their doorstep. Attending the reunion keeps them safe for another few months. However, the meddling never stops.

Oh, I admit I’m guilty of my share of gettin’ all up in people’s business, but I’ve learned how to tone it down. Plus, I’ve figured out how to find things out without coming across as nosy. I’ll ask one young’un who needs prayin’ for, and that gives me a lot of information about someone who’s strugglin’. That doesn’t work with another young’un, but if I suspect something’s up with someone in the family, I can say something to get folks to spill the beans.

And then there’s the fact that I’m now the family matriarch, so people come to me with all sorts of things on account of the fact that I have experience in so many different aspects of livin’. There’s something to be said for the fact that I struggled through the Great Depression as a child and lived to tell about it. And I get to enjoy the good times with the memories of how bad things can get, which makes the blessings all the sweeter. Somehow that puts everything into perspective.

The problem with Julius is, until now, he hasn’t had a point of reference. In his mind, cars are disposable items, and all the niceties he enjoys are the norm. I’m

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