Meet the Parents -- (Behind the Scenes)

My parents were married on August 9, 1959. They are still together -- much to our (their children's) surprise. My parent's argue like .. well.. like an old married couple.

As a child, the way they fought used to worry me. My best friend and I would plot who we would spend time with should our parent's divorce. No idea why we thought the fate of my parents would affect the fate of her parents marital bliss, but ...

Now that I'm older, I see my parent's arguments as slightly entertaining and only occasionally disturbing. My mother has always had a propensity towards nagging. It comes from having a mate who is very outgoing and slightly attention deficit disordered; She's often left to handle things while he goes off and "plays." When he does finally get inside, she has lists of things for him to do -- often carried over from uh ... I'd say 1959. Lol. She nags, he shuts down. She nags some more. Then my dad will yell like he just heard the news. It's a crazy routine, but somehow they have adapted to it and I think, grown fond of their peculiar way of communicating.

In between the nagging that sometimes turns into arguments -- "I told you last week that there were ants." "I told you last week I sprayed for them." "Well, there are still ants." "I suppose there are new ants." "Well, isn't the spray suppose to prevent new ants from reappearing?" "Maybe they are strong ants and are immune to the spray. I dunno.' "Do you actually remember spraying, or are you thinking you sprayed?""I told you I sprayed." Etc. Etc. Etc. -- there are moments where I just laugh. And, thankfully, they join in, momentarily jostled from their unbearably tedious routine.

Mom: How long were you planning on driving on empty?
Dad:   We should make it home.
Mom:  You've been driving on empty for several miles now.
Dad:   We should make it home, Aud(rey).
Mom:  So you make it home, what then? You'll still be on empty.
Dad:  Look, there's a gas station.
Mom:  Good decision.

And so they continue.

Dad:  Ruthie is going to be 71 this year!
Mom:  No!  She's younger than us.
Me:  Mama, You're 76 years old. She IS younger than you.
Mom:  Oh. Okay then.

My parents have been married for 55 years. If I were to get married today, I will never be married the amount of time they have, so I have to assume they are doing something right. Maybe my dad checking out every now and again has saved them -- it's like a mini vacation for my mother. I'm not a nagger like my mother, but I will spin stories in my mind over and over again and drive myself to the same aggravated point that my father is driven to on the regular. Jay tunes me out, taking a tip from my father, I can only assume. I hope that I can be as forgiving or as forgetful of the things that are hardest to forgive. And I hope that I can maintain a healthy sense of humor when all else fails.