The Scapegoat

YES! May 17, 2017

Three days after Brent's birthday;

Two days after Mother's Day.

 Mother's Day Chairs.
(My tracks; cat tracks.)

The tomatoes were in the greenhouse outside - uncovered.

These plants were on the deck.

We were living in a 9x15' unit in  Stadium Village the first time I remember being accused of losing something I had never seen. It was like 3 AM. DeRay was going fishing with Roland Palmer and he couldn’t find his fishing license. He ranted and raved and blamed me until he found it right where he put it.

This morning he yelled at me for not telling him that it was going to snow and all his plants were left outside uncovered. Helen Hunger stayed home from club to dig all her plants up and take them in the house. I heard on the news coming home from the gym at noon that it was going to turn very cold; snow in the mountains and maybe in the valleys. That means us.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?”

Like everyone else, he’s always got his nose in his Smart Phone. I didn’t think I had to tell him anything. 

He’s always talking “diet” on the phone when I come home. How do I get a word in edgewise?

“YOU NEVER TALK TO ME. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS SAY SOMETHING.”

I thought it was common knowledge.

“Once again, I get the blame for something you didn’t do.”

“IT’S YOUR PLANTS AS WELL AS MINE.”

If I had said something, he would have discounted it or said I didn’t know what I was talking about. He’s responsible for those plants; not me. He also would have complained that I was nagging.

For over sixty years, whenever he can’t find something the first thing he does is blame me. “Did you throw it away?” I get the blame for everything that goes wrong; every mistake that is made; everything that is forgotten. You’d think he’d look to himself, just once, but I guess that’s not a manly thing.

On the other hand, he has been so good to my family throughout the years. Incomparable. He took Mama to more of her cobalt treatments than all the rest of the family put together, including me. And he does it cheerfully.

So the bottom line is that I’m a scapegoat without remorse. It’s the least I can do.