More on Texas

The 10 O'clock News is depressing but not as depressing as my family in Texas.

Got a picture text message on my cell phone of a sun rising from my niece on Christmas Eve. This is her way of letting me know that she needs to talk to me. A normal person would just call but well, I think you get my drift.

Not that I don't love my niece. I do, very much, but she has her issues. She's 33, a single mom (by choice, but I don't think she actually knows who the daddy is), claims she's been diagnosed with ADD (she always reminds me of this whenever she gets herself in a fix), and is a drama queen. She used to have a drug problem but has been clean for three years. She's not unintelligent but emotionally, she acts 14.

At least she's trying to pull herself up, though. She's going to school to learn how to fix computers, she works and appears to be making the effort to be a good mother. However, one of the things that continues to pull her down is her OWN mother, my *lovely* ex-sister-in-law. As immature as my niece is, she's even more so and plays these manipulative games with my niece and everyone else. It's really sad.

She had been helping my niece out financially but as soon as my niece does something (real or imagined ) to tick her off, she pulls the plug. I told my niece that she should make every effort to become independent from this witch as soon as possible. Yes, it's going to be tough, both emotionally and financially, but most things in life that are worthwhile are worth fighting for.
I told her that I am there for her.

After my brother and Witch got divorced, she married this guy she met at her high school reunion. I met him once, at my nephew's wedding, and don't really have a good recollection of him, one way or the other. An impression, good or bad, was not made. Well, a few years ago, he ran into some financial problems with his business. Based on what I've written, can anyone out there in the peanut gallery guess what happened next? That's right. Instead of working things through, Witch leaves Guy #2, who, I learned, committed suicide the week before Christmas.

Now Witch has shacked up with Guy #3, a Colombian *artist* of sorts (sounds more like a bullshit artist to me), who lives in a tiny apartment above someone's garage! Well, my niece tells me that HE is now having financial AND health problems and I'm just waiting for the next installment of this sagging saga. I think we all know how it ends up.

But ya know? If I have to listen to another installment, I think I may drink myself silly.