stuck in the middle with you

i love being the middle child most of the time. i don’t love it when the older sister and the younger brother start to fight. from years of experience, i usually notice the calm before the storm.

the latest one is a toughie. every year, the three of us divide up between our parents. we’ve worked it our beautifully, except for one small kink: my brother, being the typical 21 year old boy, has no ability to save or think more than two days ahead. every year, rachel and i approach the christmas season hoping that with our brother’s new raise or new job he will be able to help us buy presents for our parents, because really, she and i aren’t rolling in the dough either.

this year has been a little different. now living with my brother, i do see his side, and i definitely see where my sister is coming from, since she and i have been dealing with this since we became old enough to buy our parent’s presents. my brother this year was in charge of my father and marie (a joint gift) and gretchen and kevin (another joint gift for our cousins).

this year, my sister found out that my father and marie could really use a microwave for their new home, and this…is revolutionary. in all the years we have asked them if they need anything, we have never gotten a suggestion. we thanked god for his mercy when seinfeld started coming out on dvd. we haven’t run out of seasons to purchase, but we now have a chance to get them something they need.

the problem enters in that chewkie was supposed to get paid on friday, and was never given a check. he had anticipated using that money to buy the gifts of which he was in charge. he was able to buy the wii game for the cousins. he tells me he is unable to buy the microwave but that as soon as he gets paid he will be able to contribute. already knowing the stir this is going to cause, i tell him, “call rachel”. this probably wasn’t fair of me, but she was the only one who knew the dimensions of the microwave and it was her idea.

rachel was, as expected, irate, and quickly belittled chewkie to all worthlessness. chewkie is then fuming around the house. i decide this would be the perfect time to call up briana and ashley, two of my best friends from high school.

i guess in the end, i hope that rachel realizes that with a little more patience, she might have found out he was going to be able to promptly pay her back, and i hope chewkie realizes that if he just saved and planned ahead, he wouldn’t have to deal with these types of problems.

yuck. merry christmas.