New Old Surroundings

You can probably tell by the new background behind me and the disconcerted look on my face that I am not in my normal surroundings. It's true -- I'm a little out of my element; and, yet, not.

Rather than a darkened office, I am a moderately lit living room. Rather than a cushioned swivel chair rolling over the ridges of a hardwood floor, I am sitting on one of the most comfortable couches I've ever surfed. Rather than a large house filled with people who can't stand each other and are always at each others' throats, I am in a small apartment with three people who love each other and sacrifice for each other. Rather than one of my many hometowns, I am back in DeKalb, at the Riley's house, for the time being.

I was kicked out of my mom's house first thing this morning. Here's the general story:

On Saturday night, my mom didn't come home; Bob, Morgan and I were worried, but we had a good idea where she was. On Sunday morning, I went to work at the pool. Whilst strolling the grounds at the apartment complex, I found her car. So, I called Bob to let him and Morgan know that I found her. He, in turn, called his lawyer to let him know about the latest puzzle piece to fall into place. The lawyer, in turn, served the apartment manager with a deposition to supply the court with the evidence of Mom's staying overnight at the apartments -- she parked directly beneath a security camera. This morning, the apartment manager approached my mom and asked her about what happened. My mom, in turn, reacted negatively and assumed I was trying to get her into trouble.

She called me to let me know that she was pissed at me for "trying to get [her] fired." Because of that, she decided that she didn't want me living in her house. She also decided that she didn't want me having a relationship with my sister and forbade me from ever seeing her. Furthermore, she decided that she doesn't want anything to do with me from now on -- for the time being, I am no longer a part of her family.

Her loss.

Thankfully, I have a solid base of friends in DeKalb who were willing to put me up for a while. I don't know how long I'll be here -- I don't even know why I'm here quite yet. I will say, though, that it's almost a relief to back in this town -- this town that I cannot stand. I never thought I'd be so happy to see the place.