Temerity Jane

No third wheel.

I just talked to my sister, she and my parents are on their way here. They’re not bringing my brother.

Apparently he has a “paper” that needs to be “done” by “5pm.”

Ok, the quotes are a little excessive, but his girlfriend is at the house. So, you know. “You know.”

Hmph. What an asspanda.

I will forgive him his one-track-mindedness, though, because he’s almost 19. I suppose if I was a 19 year old guy left in the house all alone all weekend with my girlfriend, I wouldn’t make the choice to go see my sister EVEN THOUGH SHE’S MOVING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN NINE DAYS AND WON’T BE COMING BACK UNTIL CHRISTMAS, JERK.

When my brother was about 6 or so, he decided he wanted to pick out his own Christmas presents to give to family members. I don’t really remember what he got anyone, but I do remember he bought me a little pack of bath stuff – you know, like you can get at K-Mart or something, it had a soap and a bath gel and a body lotion, and it was gardenia scented. I’d never had anything that smelled like gardenia before, wasn’t particularly into bath stuff, and it was just one of those silly gift sets that no one ever really buys for themselves or ever uses once they get it as a gift.

Of course, he was 6 and had picked it out all by himself, so obviously I loved it and I told him so, and I didn’t ever end up using it.

It’s in this box of stuff – a big plastic box that my mother is bringing to me today. It’s got my jewlery box from Japan that was given to my mother and then to me, my ruby slipper statue, a lot of my Elvis stuff – just a lot of sentimental things that have been hanging out at my parents’ place and now it’s time for me to have them, so they’re coming to me today. My mom asked when she was looking through the box if I wanted all that stuff, and I said of course I did, and she asked if I wanted the little bath set. She said it didn’t even smell like anything anymore.

I told her to leave it in there, and then I reminded her of what she told me on Christmas night after my brother had gone to bed. That she had taken him shopping to pick out Christmas gifts for us, and he knew exactly what he wanted to get me – bath stuff – but then she had to stand there in the aisle and wait for him while he sniffed every. single. package. and narrowed it down and hemmed and hawed and sniffed some more, until he finally decided on the gardenia one.

So I’m burning a gardenia candle and waiting for my family to get here, and my brother isn’t coming, but that’s fine BECAUSE I LIKE THE BATH STUFF BETTER THAN HIM AAAANNNNYYWAAAAAAY!