Yesterday my Mom and Grandmother were visiting my Aunt who lives around Boston. I have seen my Mom at least once every week for the last month and did not feel extremely motivated to sit in traffic for an hour and a half, but I hadn't seen my grandmother in a while and well...I have no food in my fridge. So I endured the hour and a half, bumper to bumper, traffic to arrive at my aunts house to find no one home. This is typical of my family and the reason I told them I would be there 15 minutes earlier than I actually was. They did drive up about 5 minutes later, but its the principal.
Anyway, I walk into my Aunts house and it STINKS! There was a mix of burnt rubber and crap fumes lingering in the air and NO ONE was saying anything. So I said "Why does it stink in here?" My Mom just looks at me and says, "It doesn't sting." Ummm, what? I am not one for sensative nostrils and this smell does not usually inhabit my aunt's house. My uncle just gave me a look and I knew, it was my grandmother's dogs who I soon found out had be sprayed by a skunk the night before.
I know my grandmother's dogs are her children. She feeds them from the table, does not let them out of her sight, and she holds conversations with them regularly. I am OK with this. I understand that since my grandfather died suddenly of a heart attack while he was running on the treadmill at the tender age of 67, her world has changed. She now has to live alone (although she is usually with one of her children at least 2x a week) and she has lost the one rock in her life. I understand she is fragile. However, there is a time when reality must be set into play because I do not believe we are helping the problem by avoiding it.
Of course as soon as I said it stank my Grandmother got defensive and threatened to lock the dogs in the car. Really?? That is not what I meant, but her drama immediately puts both my Mother and Aunt on edge. I am now the bad guy cause I stated the truth.
Do I think my grandmother will ever be truly happy again, no. Do I believe that this is just due to the death of my grandfather, no. Do I believe that sometimes people have to face what scares them the most in order to change, yes.
Living in denile has rarely helped anyone. So, give the dogs a bath.
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