Altruism is a selfish mistress that comes in the guise of charity. I still can’t quite understand what my father was thinking. Perhaps they had become too dependent on the parental guidance and support they had in military life. Either way, they usually came across like the hapless victims of a Steinbeck novel. As much as I tried to get away from that scene, my father had his way of undermining that with secret plans of his own. It was bad enough that I had to answer to the authorities whenever my mother went off on a tantrum. Of course he was always conveniently absent whenever shit hit the fan. I was unemployed and they did their best not to inform me of any offers that came by mail or phone. My drunken sister-in-law also made an ugly habit of phoning prospective employers, covertly pretending to be me. This was a time before affordable mobile phones so I was pretty well sunk. Conversely, there was no end to constant calls asking for information on my father’s arrangements; things he never discussed except to leave with that suitcase and not a word at all. This would send my mother off in another tantrum, starting the whole cycle of police nuisance over again. In 2002 he started a new legion branch, for all the refugees of branch 2 that came in odds with the dubious activities going on there. Needless to say, I was coerced into taking over as secretary, without a clue as to what the job exactly entailed. Just the usual threat to throw me out on the street if I didn’t comply. Well, that turned out to be a right idiot farm. The president and co. had their own dubious schemes; some shooting club in Mahlberg that had gone bust because of them drinking up the assets. They actually thought I had some kind of cash stashed away, and should get them a grant from the VA through my father. Naturally my father said no, but did nothing about this lot trying encroach me at every opportunity. Did they even care when I shattered my ankle? My father didn’t even have the decency to tell them when I was in the hospital, nor did anyone help me try to get around without expecting my complicity in return. When push came to shove, I tried to get the instigator banned from the premises, but of course the committee couldn’t get it through their heads that I was literally being stalked, and for what? Some shooting club locked down by court order that wasn’t going to be opened without someone paying a few hundred thou up front, say nothing of the licensing costs and all...and certainly far removed from anything the Veterans Association would endorse. Not even my father tried to understand the abuse I went through at that job in Mahlberg thanks to their hate campaign.
When my father finally had that stroke trying to open a branch in Holland, they didn’t have the common decency to rush him to a hospital, at least via ADAC. The only help I had caring for him was his partner Reg. When Reg saw just how messed up the situation had become, he too made enemies in branch 4. When election time came I threw them my resignation while making sure the president’s rival took over. I knew his rival was just as dogged to dictate his own regime. These guys definitely have a problem taking anything a woman says seriously, so I though I’d even the score. Mind you, instead of putting up a good fight against each other and learn something, they hid their tails and fled, which is just well. These sheeple just want to be led to their familiar pastures, even if it meant giving up their charter for some branch in Quebec. I just don’t get what makes some think I should be so obliged as to give their pipe dreams precedence over my own responsibilities. Either way, I just didn’t have the time for such tomfoolery while having to home care two seriously damaged parents. Now that all is over and done, it’s not like I miss any of it, let alone have any regrets.
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