What is it about family weddings, anyway? I mean, weddings themselves don’t bother me at all. I have friends who have gotten married in the past, and I’m always happy for them, happy to attend their wedding, happy to hear them go on about their wedding (though, most people are at least polite and talk about something else now and then.)
But family weddings. Ugh. I know I mentioned that my brother is getting married. It hasn’t been a month since he’s announced the date, and already it’s the only thing my family seems to want to talk about. Mom is already shopping for her pants-suit. (OMG, splech). And the thing is, the wedding itself is nine months away. Nine freaking months.
I think what it boils down to is this: when I say I’m not close with my brother, that is really putting it lightly. Not only am I not close with him, but, we are the sort of people who get along with each other for family gatherings and that’s really it. We didn’t hang out much, even when I lived nearby, and we don’t call each other anymore. (I put forth the effort, but he’s one of those people who is always “Too busy” to return your call. “Just keep trying ’til you get me!” He says. Er.. No. I’m not gonna do that. You’re going to stop being so smug and just make the ten minutes you need appear out of your terribly busy schedule.
We have different ideals. Different thought processes. Different lives. We are not even on the same plain. When I go back home to visit family, I spend next to no time with him. It’s hard to describe our relationship. We certainly aren’t enemies, but neither one of us has ever gone out of their way to involve themselves with the other. If his condescending attitude wasn’t enough, his constant efforts to make my Mom do the wrong things in her life so that he can have something leftover from my parents in their will is enough to make me not want to spend much time around him.
I mean, I know he’s not a bad guy at the end of the day. There are far worse people to be around. At the end of the day, Mom makes her own decisions, whether she sees that my brother is looking out for her or himself is a different matter. The fact of the matter is, Master and me both begrudge having to fly all the way across the country during the worst month of the year (for us), simply to watch him marry a girl who we also are not huge fans of. (Though, she could definitely be worse, and she’s never been outright rude to me, she’s just the polar opposite of me in every way).
And I guess, thinking about the fact that we have to disrupt our lives to go this wedding which we could care less is happening or not (it’s more like an acquaintance getting married than it is my brother, as awful as that sounds. I’ve never felt like I was “friends” with my brother, and that may never, ever happen, either) is bugging both Master and me. We can both think of many places we’d love to go to for a couple days, busiest month of the year or not – and home for this wedding isn’t it.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not being a stick in the mud. I’m being as positive and encouraging as possible. I see no reason for me to ruin a wedding for anyone, best enemy, aquaintence, etc. That’s selfish and awful. But, I think both Master and me would love to be able to call home and hear about something else. I mean, there are so many months until the wedding! I suppose it is a good distraction for everyone from all the day to day things they face, as well as a good excuse to delay making important decisions.. “Ooh, I’ll worry about it after the wedding.”
Ugh.
Can it be November now?