My mother has a new daughter

My mom has been friends with “Laura” since 1972.  Laura was dating one of my dad’s friends when my parents met, so she and my mom became friends.

Laura had very controlling parents, who would make all of her decisions for her.  Then she married my dad’s friend, and he made all of her decisions for her as well.  After their children were out of the house (they are 28 and 32 now), she decided to leave her husband of 30 years.  It was a total shock to her husband, her children, and to all of us who’d known her for years.  She was always pretty level-headed.

After she left her husband, she got involved with a man from work.  She ended up moving in with him, until he decided to go back to his wife.  So Laura had nowhere to go.  She moved back in with her first husband, and stayed in his back bedroom.  Apparently, she was being a cocktease the whole time though.  She likes the attention.

Then, her husband started controlling her again, and made some vague verbal threats against her life.  So, my dad (!!!!) finally told her she was moving in with them.  For about a year, she stayed in my bedroom, meaning that when I went home to visit, I had to stay in my brother’s.

After living with my parents for a year, my parents helped her move into her own apartment.  She didn’t like living alone, at all.

So she immediately started dating her old high school boyfriend, whom she’d dated at the same time as her first husband, 30 years earlier.  They got married within 8 months of getting together (his 3rd marriage).

Come to find out, this guy’s been an abusive alcoholic for 20 years.  His second wife killed herself in front of him, by getting out of the car on the interstate, and stepping in front of a semi.  She apparently felt like suicide was the only way to escape from him.

Once he started getting drunk and manhandling Laura, she would call my mom in tears because she didn’t know what to do.  About 4 months ago, my dad stepped in and told her she was moving back in with them, despite the fact she has a ton of money in the bank and can afford to get an apartment for awhile.  But she doesn’t want to give up on her marriage, so she splits her time between staying at my parents’ house, staying with her daughters who live a few miles from me (3 hours away from my hometown), and staying in the back bedroom of this husband’s house.

And you can bet she’s being a cocktease when she stays at her husband’s house this time too.

Last Thanksgiving, about 1 hour after my brother and his girlfriend arrived at my parents’ house (after driving non-stop from San Diego), Laura called my mom “because she was having an anxiety attack.”  She kept my mom on the phone for 2 hours, when my mom just wanted to visit with her son she only gets to see 3 times a year at most.

Last Christmas, about 1 hour after my brother and I arrived at our parents’ house (after I picked my brother up at the airport and drove 3 hours to get there), Laura showed up to talk to my mom “because she doesn’t know what to do about her husband.”  She said she was only going to be there for 20 minutes, but she kept my mom occupied for 3 hours.

So on Wednesday, I drove to my hometown to hang out with my parents and grandparents until Thursday night.  When I arrived at my parents’  house at 2pm, Laura’s car was in the driveway and my parents were nowhere to be seen.

Laura came outside.  “Chamuca!  What are you doing here?”

I bit my tongue to keep from saying, “I could ask you the same question!  I don’t know, I grew up in that house right there?  There are pictures of me as a child on the walls?  I look like the people who live here?”  WTF.

The best part?  I called my mom at work, and she DIDN’T EVEN KNOW Laura was at the house.  My parents gave her a key years ago and told her if she needed to escape from her drunk of a husband, she could come stay at the house, even if they’re not there.  They meant “in case of an emergency”, but she’s taken advantage of the whole thing.

Once I got inside the house, she started acting weird.  “Are you down here to visit with your mom for Mother’s Day?”

“Yeah, and for her birthday.  I forgot my dad was out of town right now.  I was going to hang out with him for his birthday too.”  (Mom’s was April 21, and Dad’s is May 8th.)

“Well, do you think we should take your mom out for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah, probably.”

Way to invite yourself to dinner, when my mom and I wanted to spend some time together, crazy lady.

I feel like a petty bitch because I’m being possessive of my parents.  I have no problem sharing my parents with my brother, but seriously?  This lady is 56 years old.  GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.  YOU’RE A GROWN ASS WOMAN AND A FUCKING GRANDMOTHER.  MY PARENTS ARE NOT YOUR PARENTS.  JESUS H. CHRIST.

Am I a bad person because of this?  My parents are at the end of their rope with her, so I can’t tell if we’re all assholes or if we’re all logical human beings.  What say ye?