Mom Again?

Or so it would appear... not that I'm complaining but it's just different.

My kids are now grown, graduated and gettin' on my nerves. (not really but sometimes) My Mate has a 9 year old daughter ~ "Neeper" ~ and she's come to stay with us for the summer the second weekend in June.

About two weeks after Neeper arrived, we received a call from her mom ~ "Valkyrie" ~ stating that the boyfiend ~ "Mr. Peabody" ~ had missed work, and was drunk and passed out naked on the living room floor. Valkyrie didn't want to have Neeper in the house with Mr. Peabody doing stuff like that, and suggested perhaps Neeper should stay with us longer than the summer. It seems Mr. Peabody has some dependency issues, and has been known to relieve himself throughout the house, not always in the bathroom. My Mate and I agreed it would be best that Neeper stay with us.

A few days later Neeper received an email from her mom saying that Mr. Peabody was being good again and they were acting loving again to each other. A couple days after that, Neeper told My Mate that she didn't want to go back and live with her mom, and then she told her mom the same thing during a phone call. Next think I know Neeper is crying because Valkyrie has told her she HAS to come home and that's just the way it is.

Additional informatoin that may fill in holes later on: Valkyrie was arrested in May for assalt, seem she used the flat edge of a knife on Mr. Peabody, the cops were called, and Valkyrie spent a few nights in jail. During the time she was locked up, Mr. Peabody was calling My Mate and asking what he intended to do, then saying he needed to 'be a man' and then demanding that Mr. Peabody be allowed to adopt Neeper. Uh.. HELL NO. We had thougt at that time that we may have to go out early and pick up Neeper, but we were able to let her finish the school year in MD.

Also, some time last year, Valkyrie took a baseball bat to Mr. Peabody - and the cops were called then too but I dont' think there was any jail time. They have a volitale relationship and there have been times when Neeper has called My Mate because her mom is drunk and nasty and Neeper just wants to be away from the house. At those times, she'd figure out how to make it to My Mate's Rents house for a couple days, until things settled down. It's tough for us to do anything about it, as My Mate's family lives in Maryland - nearly 2700 miles from Seattle.

It's been tough this year for the Mate-Rents too, Mom ~ "JEast" ~ has been having Kemo treatments since April for her lungs, and Dad ~ "Grumpy" ~ had his left leg amputated at the knee in early May and then a quintuple (5) by-pass heart surgery in the beginning of June. Since Grumpy has been unable to drive, and really in the hosipital or extended care for those two months (and still), Neeper has to less options for leaving the house when things grow too tense with Valkyrie and Mr. Peabody. To make things in MD even more like a Springer show, My Mates Sister ~ "Mouse" ~ her husband ~ "Saint" ~ and their family (5 kids total though not all of them live at home right now) have been forced to move from the house they've been in for over 12 years, because it's being sold and they can't afford what is being asked for it. (too much by the way, if you ask me) So Mouse and the three youngest kids ("BonBon" ~ age 9, Neepers best friend, "Thomas" ~ Age 5?(I think) and "Nate" ~ Age 13) are moving in with the Mate-Rents, while Saint is going to stay with his parents near by for the time being. The oldest is living with his other grandparents out of state and "Coyote" has been hanging out at the Mate-Rents off and on for the last 9 months - mooching.

This is not the worst thing that could happen, with Grumpy in the hospital still and JEast doesn't drive, but it's a small house, and the Mate-Rents have been sans little kids 24/7 for a lot longer than I have.

Back to the present ~ Last weekend, Valkyrie called, very in her cups (read: drunk), and a conversation with My Mate started out that maybe it would be best for Neeper to say with us. In the course of the 10 minute conversation, though she did a 180 and ended the call with "If Neeper is not back in MD by August 1st, I'm calling an Alphabet Goverment Agency, and reporting a Neeper-napping." to which My Mate replied, "Thanks for the warning."

Today - July 4th, Neeper was chatting with Valkyrie and again the subject of the return trip to MD was brought up, which sent Neeper into tears again. Poor thing! And of course, we were at the Dragon-Rents place with my family, so then others wanted to know "What was up?" Thankfully it was easy enough to say that she'd just had a disagreement with her mom on the phone and leave it at that.

We don't know what is going to happen from one day to the next, but at this point, we are not planning to send Neeper back to MD until we've talked with someone familiar with family law. There reasons too numerous to count why she should not return, and one really important reason she should stay ~ because it is what is best for her!

More Neeper Saga updates later as the story developes - Happy Fourth All!