Maybe not going south...
So, I guess I'm not surprised. There's been almost a 180-degree reversal as Dick has figured out that there's a pandemic raging across the globe, and specifically in this country. Or... more like one or two of his sisters reminded him of how devastating this disease can be. For the vast majority of people who contract it, yes, they may just deal with a really nasty cold. Or maybe even be asymptomatic. But there is no way to know if you'll be one of the horribly unlucky people. Because it's not just about your current health or age. Yes, those are huge factors. But there are plenty of people who don't have any real health issues, who are dying, who are on ventilators, and in comas for weeks. Who suffer repeated strokes. This is truly turning out to be a game of Russian Roulette — your odds are definitely better, but way too many people aren't beating those odds.
Anyway, apparently, he got scared out of driving 500 miles each way, just to hang out with his family. What I find amusing about this not-funny situation? That he knew all of this. He's a CNN-addict. He knows the numbers. He hears the stories. He knows that the state has a quarantine. So, what the hell was the point in this exercise? Testing the water? Testing me? Thinking I'll just be ok with whatever he says? How does he not get that we are so beyond that point in this relationship?
I'm just ready to be done. I'm tired of the mind games. There's enough crap going on right now. Hell... right now, we're even dealing with an elderly cat who's decided to no longer use her litter box. We think/hope it's just some cat neuroses, and that she's not in a downward spiral. But, along with everything else, I don't need to be playing a game of mental chicken with this guy about whether or not he's going to put himself at additional risk for getting something that he really is scared to get — and then assume that there would be no consequences here. Where has he been the past 3 months to think there are no consequences???
I've got a kid I still need to “teach,” a job I've got to try not to lose, meals to plan and cook, and I've now got carpets I've got to shampoo. Who has time for this sort of game? This is already round 2 of “maybe I'll go visit...” — where it all ends up with “oh, that's right, the pandemic is real.” Sigh. I wish he could just remember that. Just for a little while.