I Am Not the Favorite Child

I poured myself a cup of coffee this morning, after being woken up by my mother, I needed caffeine support to keep me upright. After the first cup, I set my mug on the counter, with the expectations that the mug would be conveniently located in closest proximity to the supplies.

A mug is normally just a mug. A ceramic vessel for holding hot beverages. But when I choose a mug to use, it becomes my sacred chalice and until I retire it to the kitchen sink, it is mine to use exclusively. Everyone knows this. Even my mother. But there are time when she pleads ignorance, especially if it is in the service of her favorite child: My brother.

It’s another day of her visit. I seat myself at the table, surfing the internet on my laptop when my brother arrives with some groceries my mother commissioned him to get. He sits down, she immediately leaps up and heads into the kitchen to make him breakfast (not leftovers of what everyone else ate earlier but from scratch) and in turn offers him a cup of Joe.

I shouldn’t take offense but I do. I really dislike when my mother waits on my brother, and with her here on a holiday visit, that’s what she is doing her first day here. Worse is that it’s really inconsiderate for him to do so, especially when she says she is in pain/sore from the trip, but she doesn’t know how to stop herself and he is not going to deny himself the pleasure of being waited on hand and foot.

That wasn’t the crux of the matter, however. The proverbial poop hit the fan over my mug. I have a plethora of mugs for coffee and tea. So why does she grab the mug I was using, proceed to wash it and then serve him with it?? I had my back to the kitchen so I don’t see this violation of my territory until it’s gripped in his meaty fist. I am ever so pissed.

Typical. I know why she did it. It wasn’t, as she claimed, because she couldn’t find another mug. That’s a lie because there were 5 other mugs sitting in the cabinet. It wasn’t because she couldn’t “reach them” because they weren’t up that high, AND I have a step stool in the kitchen because I’m vertically challenged. PLUS, the rest of the mugs were clean and sitting in the dishwasher which is at a height way lower than that of the cabinet above the counter. So I raise the bullshit flag and salute it.

It’s because my mug was the largest, and that is why she picked it to give to her favorite child. She does this every time! She didn’t even ask me if I am still using it! After I see him drinking out of my mug, she offers to pour me coffee in another cup. I tell her not to bother, and by the way, I was going to pour myself a second cup IN THE SAME MUG that she just gave my brother because I had been USING IT.

Yeah yeah. I could have used another cup, but dammit, it’s a matter of principle! She’s always giving my brother the best of whatever is around and it is perfectly okay if I get second best or lower.

So, yes, the Momster is back in full force and back to her old shenanigans. I rejoice in the return to normalcy, at the same time that it pains me to experience the consequences of such activities. Gotta take the good with the bad I suppose…*sigh*