There are 3 reasons why I got ahold of Karen and asked
her if I could join in her Fly on the Wall series:
1.)
My son
recently accused me of oftentimes “blathering on and on.”
I swear I have no idea where he
comes up with this stuff. I have
never—not once in my life—said this to anyone, not even my mom. It would be somewhat hypocritical of me, no?
He just comes up with things
like this. It’s like the time he told me
that some parents are awesome and some parents are “good enough” before patting
me on the head condescendingly and saying, “And it’s okay to be ‘good enough,’
Mom.”
He’s five. The teenage years are going to be a fcking
blast, right?
Anyway, since I apparently have
a problem with “blathering on and on,” Fly on the Wall seemed to be a nice
change for me as it’s comprised of little snippets of conversation heard around
one’s home…with little to no blathering.
2.)
I made my
dad a little too proud with last week’s post, and I need to rectify that.
3.)
I needed something to do with all of the shit
heard around my dad’s house when the Golden Child blessed us with his beatific
presence last summer.
For anyone who doesn’t already know, my younger brother totally stole the Golden Child title from me just out of high school, when he stopped being an irresponsible douche and signed up to join the armed forces.
He’s still a douche, mind you, but now he’s a douche with a respectable job, and apparently that’s all it takes in my dad’s eyes.
Anyway, I’ve never gotten over it, especially since not only did he knock me from my former glorious golden position, but somehow he managed to get me to the ass bottom of the favorites list, even below my sister who can’t read and my brother who stole Dad’s washer and dryer.
How the hell did that even happen?
I have no clue, but I’m certain it had nothing to do with anything that I did back in college, such as calling my dad at 1:30 AM, just after the bars closed, and asking him to come and pick me up and drive me home—oh, and could he please hurry before the convenience stores stopped selling alcohol for the night, so that he could stop and pick me up a case of beer on the way since I was having a gentleman caller over for afterbars? Thaaaaaaanks.
Anyway, no matter how it happened, that a-hole brother of mine is now the Golden Child, and it seems that the title will not be won back very easily. I know this because when GC was home this past summer, I tried to bring Dad a beer, making sure that he saw me shine it on my shirt and give him a slight curtsy as I opened it and set it before him. But he just rolled his eyes and said, “Give it up, Shay. It’s over.”
So I’ve just accepted it, along with conversations like the ones that I now present to you as part of the Fly on the Wall series entitled “When the Golden Child Comes Home”:
My older sister,
still pregnant: “Everybody had better be
able to make it home for the baby’s Baptism.
I scheduled it for the end of July.”
Me: “But the baby hasn’t even been born yet.”
Older sister: “I’ll make sure I push her out by then. I’ve already started swallowing buckets of
castor oil. I need to make sure she’s
born and can be baptized before GC leaves.
He’s going to be her Godfather.”
Me: “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Older sister: “What do you mean?”
Me: “GC hasn’t stepped foot inside of a church in
33 years. I wouldn’t be surprised if the
Holy Water sizzled his finger right off.
Seriously, the GC thing has always been annoying, but lately it’s gotten
even worse. What the hell is up with
everyone and St. Golden Child?”
Older sister: “He gives good gifts.”
Me, pausing. Then conceding: “Okay.
Okay, I can see your reasoning there.”
Every single year, when GC comes home, my dad forgets all
of the stupid shit he did the previous years, such as setting one of Dad's trees
on fire with a 4th of July paper lantern and ruining every single
one of his cell phones, year after year.
I got a call one afternoon from a number I didn’t recognize, and even
though I normally won’t answer calls from numbers I don’t know, I decided on a
whim to pick up. It was my dad.
Me: “What’s this number you’re calling me from?”
Dad,
hesitatingly: “Oh, GC broke my phone, so
I had to get a new one.”
Me: “Again?
Didn’t he do that last year?”
Dad,
defensive: “No! He lost it last year during a drunken
one-night stand. Totally different.”
Me, shaking my head
on the other end of the line: “Oh, yes.
Totally different. So how did he break
it this year?”
My preschooler,
eavesdropping: “Uncle Golden Child broke
Papa’s phone again? Why does Papa keep
letting him borrow his phones when he comes back to visit?”
Me, shrugging at my
preschooler and raising my eyebrows: ??
Dad: “Oh, I don’t know how it happened. I think he spilled beer on it or
something. No big deal. It still works. You just have to hold it at least 3 inches
from your face while screaming into it really loudly. I overestimated that first day and blew out
your little sister’s eardrum, but they’ve got good insurance, so I didn’t
bother GC with the details…”
GC, at the end of a
voice message he left me: “Alright, I
gotta go, sis. Dad says he needs to
massage my feet while fixing me breakfast…hang on a second—“
GC, turning his
head to scream away from the phone: “I
said MIMOSA, old man, not plain ORANGE JUICE!
Can’t you HEAR?!” In the
background, sounds of a glass crashing against the wall and my dad’s footsteps,
scurrying off toward the kitchen to fix GC a proper mimosa.
GC, signing off,
and I never knew you could actually HEAR an eyeroll in someone’s voice, but
trust me, you can: “Dude. I’ll call you
later. Old man’s driving me nuts. Has
anyone had him fitted for a hearing aid recently?”
Click.
Another voicemail
from GC: “Hey, tell my nephews hi for
me. And tell them Papa says hi,
too. He can’t talk, though, because he’s
busy making bacon and eggs for the GC, know what I’m sayin’?”
Dad’s cheerful,
sing-songy voice in the background:
“Hey, GC, you want salt on those eggs?”
GC: “DAMMIT, old man, you KNOW I like salt! SHIT!”
And then more quietly,
to himself: “How many damned times do
you have to tell someone…”
And then, giggling: “Anyhoo!
Call you later, sis!”
Dad’s Facebook status update, early July:
Siblings: Try to be around tonight to light fireworks
for the GC. I don’t like the way he had to keep bending over to light all of
them last night. I am afraid he might
strain his back or maybe get too fatigued to drink his beer. To my eldest daughter specifically—I realize
that you’re heavily pregnant, but c’mon. This is GC. GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!!!!!
Yes, he seriously did use 5 exclamation points.
And finally, something that one of my nephews said that
had nothing to do with GC, but it was one of the most hilarious things we heard
all month. My dad had taken him to his tee
ball game, and my nephew was getting ready to walk onto the field when my dad
stopped him:
Dad, crouching down
to the ground in duck stance: “I really
like to play tee ball. Do you think they’ll
think I’m a kid and let me play if I stoop down like this? Don’t I look short enough to be 5 now?
My nephew, studying
Dad for a moment before saying in his adorable little-boy lisp: “Yeah, but your face still looks old. I don’t think they’ll believe it.”
Before I sign off, I have an exciting announcement. I'll be guest posting on Dani Ryan's Cloudy, with a Chance of Wine on Monday. I am such a creature of habit and schedule that a Monday post is a very rare occurrence as it's a departure from my normal Fridays. But c'mon...it's Dani! How can you say no to being featured on her site? I'm so honored that she asked me, so please head over there Monday morning to see what I have to share!
Also, if you enjoyed my Fly on the Wall, please check out the other ladies participating in the series this week:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Let me just tell you that after the emotional day I had yesterday I was afraid I may not laugh again for quite some time. Wrong. Your family is just too funny. Couldn't help myself. I may even come back and read this again later.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy you said that, Karen, because I was seriously hoping you'd love it and be happy that you let me in on the series. Thank you so much; this is too fun!!
DeleteThis was hilarious. I'm so glad to have found your blog. We have a GC of our own, only he hasn't done ANYTHING to deserve it. Well, he is the only child with a penis. That's probably it :)Please sign up again. Your blog is awesome.
ReplyDeleteMichele--thank you so much for your comment. I will be checking out all of the other ladies who posted, too, so I will for sure be heading to your blog tonight after I get the kiddos to sleep. This was so fun; thanks for being so welcoming to the newbie!
DeleteIt's ok to be good enough, that is hilarious! Congrats on the guest post!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that?? He is ALWAYS cracking me up. I was once told by a Facebook friend that he will be the key to getting me published if I just keep writing down the things that he says. Haha.
DeleteAwesome post! Makes me glad I never had a brother, though. I'm pretty sure I was the GC. Of course, both of my sisters probably say the same thing.
ReplyDeleteLove your writing style.
Thank you so much, Lorinda! I'll be blog hopping tonight; can't wait to check you out!
DeleteI LOVE your stories about GC. And your dad is hilarious--no wonder I love coming over here to stalk your family so often...this is a GREAT fly post, Shay! XO
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to the series, Marcia! I have a feeling that our families might be very, very similar. We ought to get them together sometime!
DeleteYou have a golden child in your family too, huh? I'm the oldest, but the golden child in OUR family is my little sister. Seriously, she quit her job at Wendy's because she was the lobby attendant and both she and her mom thought that job was "beneath her". Oh please!
ReplyDeleteAren't GC's the WORST?? :)
DeleteThey bring forth a rage I've never felt before...lol
DeletePlease, more. I could hear about GC forever and ever. Every post from now on should be about GC. In fact, can GC start writing your blog for you? (I get the feeling it's something like that. Am I right? If so, sorry, woman. Life is not fair)
ReplyDeleteHe used to hate the name b/c he knew we were making fun of him for being the favorite, but now he embraces it. Dammit, it blew up in our faces. :)
Deletehaha, you never fail to give me a good laugh. Your family deserves a tv show!
ReplyDeleteAllison--thank you so much! Oh my gosh, a t.v. show?? No thanks. Can you imagine what people would say about us?? Haha
DeleteG'day and thanks for introducing me to the series, true!
ReplyDeleteThe fly sure hears a lot in people's kitchen's too!
Cheers! Joanne
@mickeydownunder
You're welcome and thanks so much for visiting!
DeleteI love how your five year old told you that it's okay to be just one of the good enough moms. Also? Seriously, what the fck is wrong with our fathers? My younger brother (the one in the middle) is SO the freaking Golden Child regardless of the fact that I am nicer, smarter, and more attentive to my dad. Sheesh. Every time I come here, I want to come hang out at your house. Every time. Because you're freaking awesome. Hey did your dad stop and get beer on the way to pick you up from the bar? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteKristi--He seriously did!! But this particular gentleman caller ended up being the hubs, so I'm sure Dad feels okay about it now. Haha!!
Delete"He gives good gifts." BAHAHAHAHA! I love these stories!! And I can't wait to have you featured on my blog tomorrow!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Dani. It was so fun!
DeleteYour nephew's comment was priceless. He is well on his way to his own Trashy Blog - love it! My bro can do no wrong either. He is the only boy that was sandwiched between my sister and I so...that pretty much sums it up.
ReplyDeleteIt does sum it up...argh. :) Yes, my nephew is a little smarty pants, but it's hilarious. We love it. :)
DeleteI thought I was subscribed to your blog, but I guess not. See, your blog title has "trashy" in it...this makes it automatically one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Tamara, thanks!! I'll make sure to check your blog out, too!
DeleteI love the snippets! And by the way, I'm my family's GC. But then you already guessed that, didn't you?
ReplyDeleteHaha!! I would never have guessed that b/c you and I are so alike that I figured you were considered the dirty skank of your fam, too! Except I knew better b/c we've talked about that before...haha
Delete