Glad That's Over!

The trip to the beach that is. Well, the first night was bad but the rest was great. I got off from here around 9:00 on Saturday and got to the beach around 2:30. Everyone else was already there. Things were pleasant during the afternoon. Mike was all over the place.....really talking up the appraisal business, laughing about the golf trophy the team he was on won, telling me he would help me get going on the appraisals, yada, yada, yada. We had brisket and all the trimmings for dinner and afterwards several of us were still sitting at the table. Karla and Cara sat at the coffee table to eat their dinner. Mary and Paul were sitting on the couch. Rudy in the easy chair. Karla was surfing the channels looking for something to watch and hit on a car chase on Spike TV. Mike immediately piped up and instucted Karla that was not appropriate for children to see. Karla started searching for something else (I thought it funny she put it on one of the religious channels thou I don't think anyone else caught it). Rocky was trying to get up in the chair with Rudy and I think Pat said not to let him in the chair because he becomes too protective and she was concerned he would nip someone, particularly the kids. At that point, Mike started a diatribe about how dogs should be trained, theybelong in a cage, like a time-out for children, a way to discipline dogs, yada, yada, yada. The implication being Rocky and See-See are just spoiled lap dogs. Pat first said she didn't have time to do all of that. Mike kept on pushing and Pat finally just told him he needed to shut up. Rather than back off, Mike kept on and she told him it would just be best if he took his family and left. Pat jumped up from the table and went running to their bedroom. Mike was red-faced and as Pat was leaving the room, he turned, pointed to each of us in turn and said to Karla, Rudy and me that she was that way because none of us had any backbone and he always had to be the one who stood up to Pat. Then he turned and went out on the deck slamming the door. What a mess. Karla and Rudy went to Pat and Mary and the kids went to Mike. I started cleaning up the table. After a while Mike went to the 2nd bedroom and disappeared for the night. Pat eventually came out and apologized to Mary. I think Mary apologized for Mike. Karla and I ended up on the couches in the living room. What a miserable night. Mike, Mary and the kids left by 10:30 the next morning. Mike did come around to everyone the next morning to apologize. I was sitting on the deck alone and he came out and said he was sorry about "last night". I said okay. He then said he's the only one who ever stood up to her....he just remembered the way she had treated grandmother and me and she's always been allowed to get by with it and he was tired of that. He then said he didn't intend to hurt my feelings. I was about to cry so I just shrugged and he went on. After they left I think everyone sighed with relief. A lot of talking went on. Karla said Mike started on her as soon as they got there....little snide comments, back handed remarks about her work, about Clint, about her being the favorite, questioning her selection of television and on and on. She felt Mike came with the purpose of starting a fight and kept on until he got a rise out of someone. Not surprisingly it was Pat who has about as short a temper as Mike does. It didn't help that he had fortified himself with rum and coke all day but that is no excuse. Pat said she and Mary had sat on the deck for a while that afternoon and talked. Of course, the conversation turned to Clint and their differing feelings about that situation. Mary and Mike feel Clint should be "on his on"....I suppose to see if he will sink or swim. Pat and Karla feel he has some maturing to do, to get his HS diploma, work some and find his way. I suppose Mary repeated all this to Mike with a little spin on it. I later learned that Mary had sent Pat a three page letter basically blaming her for all that had gone on. Pat had sent a copy to Karla and Karla said Ward got so tired of her worrying with it that he took it from her and tore it up. I said I hoped they had not even acknowledged the letter. I don't remember it they had or not. Pat said they had had problems with Mike ever since Karla was born....jealousy, competitiveness, etc. Karla says Mike hates her and she feels he always has. That she took Clint in when Mike had put him out just fanned the fire even more. Mike is just full of rage and anger. He needs help badly but I'm sure he will never see it. He has failed everywhere that Karla has succeeded and hates her for that....feels that she is the chosen child and always has been. Her marriages succeed, his have not.....she has kept a job, he cannot....she graduated college, he flunked out....and I'm sure there are more examples.