Strangers for Dinner

I should have been worried about cleaning the house on Monday night. Melanoma Man invited the entire Cub Scout den, their parents and siblings to our house for dinner this past Tuesday night. I guess this is part of his Carpe Diem. I seriously considered having my boss drum up some kind of work crisis. Since I work in a clinic which has a closing time rather than on a hospital floor, it would be difficult to finagle such a crisis. Tuesday is a weeknight for God's sake. No one invites this many people over on a week night when the only able bodied person in the household is downtown until 5. Melanoma Man has been issuing such invitations without consulting with me since we were married and it has been driving me crazy ever since. He claims I have a bad attitude. This handsome label is applied to me anytime my opinions or views are not aligned with his, which is more than 50% of the time. Most of the time I keep my opinions to myself, having given up trying to be heard years ago. I spend 40 plus hours a week tending to people, then who knows how many more hours on my own 3 people and cat at home. NO, I do not find it relaxing, interesting or entertaining to have a houseful of people already waiting for me when I get home. I am an INTROVERT underneath it all and this type of occasion is not my forte.

I showed up. It was ok, just as my advisory committee at work(Cici and Nancie) had promised. Most folks don't know about Melanoma Man's melanoma or alpha 1 anti-trypsin deficiency and he doesn't want them to know. That leaves me to pick up the slack so he can maintain the illusion. But this time I had allies, a select few other Cub Scout parents with whom Melanoma Man has shared his secret medical battles. The six of them acted as set up crew, cook, referee, and clean up committee with no questions asked. So it was that I didn't see all the strangers, all the kids and parents that I don't know. I only saw Charles and Bob and Oona and Denise and Rob and Maria.There was a reason for me to show up, to see these six and to see that I am not alone.