Oy vey. Lewis got ambushed by his parents today with a good old fashioned freak out.
FAIR WARNING- VENT AHEAD.
They got back in town on Sunday, he stopped by to see them today on his way into work and basically got the "Are you fucking crazy?" ambush. They think we're nuts for moving cross-country and there's a slight personal affront from the "you're moving so far away from us" standpoint, which I also got from my mom, but I was able to soften with the "Yeah, but think of it this way, Mom. You get on a plane to Seattle and you're there in less time than it takes on the bus or train from Miami to Jacksonville." Which won me points, so yay me. They think he's crazy for moving without a job in hand or a job prospect, to which he replied, "Oh, you mean like when we moved to Jacksonville?" which is the truth, inconvenient though it may be for the to be reminded of. And thing is, there are NO prospects for him to remain within the game industry, if we stay here, other than to move to a district or regional manager position, neither of which appeals to him. He likes selling games to people, not dealing with the minutiae of running multiple stores. As far as his current job goes, he can remain unemployed for 90 days without losing any of his accrued benefits, so if by the end of that time period, it looks like nothing's in the hopper, he may consider going back, at least as an assistant manager in Seattle rather than a full manager. But I think that would be a last resort sort of move.
But basically, they're unhappy about us moving so far, they think it's reckless and we haven't truly thought it out. And at the same time, they really can't see how the fact that they made the choice to stay away six months out of the year was one of the nails in the coffin. Both of us can't help but feel as if they sort of broke an agreement. The whole thing was us moving down to Jacksonville, despite the fact that we were VERY HAPPY in Ohio so they could be closer to their grandparents, then, within the year that we moved, they bought their NC mountain house and spend the hottest six months out of the year up there. Which I DO NOT begrudge them in any way-- they have the means by which to enjoy it, then by golly, enjoy it and savor it. I mean, yeah, would I like to be able to drop everything at a moment's notice and trot up to the mountains for a week or two as they've asked on more than one occasion? Sure, but that's simply not where we're at, lifestyle-wise. There's the kids being in school, Lewis working and having to judiciously use his two weeks of vacation, whether or not I'm on a deadline or in the middle of a story, not to mention boarding three dogs and a cat.
However, at the same time, they're conveniently ignoring the fact that Lewis and I have repeatedly said over the years how much we hate hot weather, how much happier we are in a more temperate climate, how the south is just not our bag. I think it was always looked at in that "Oh, they say that but they're simply exaggerating, it's not THAT bad," sort of way. Except, we weren't exaggerating. I know the last thing they mean to be is insensitive, but you know, they've lived in the south all their lives and love it. I think it really mystifies them that we want something different. They tried the "you'll be missing so much support," line, but truth is, we'd actually have more support in Seattle than we do here, because again, when they're up in North Carolina, we're essentially as on our own as we were in Ohio. The kids aren't close to their cousins and while we get along with the extended family, it's not as if we see them that frequently or even want to because we simply don't have anything in common with them and frankly, we're very accustomed to be self-contained.
They'll come around eventually and be supportive because ultimately, what they want is for us to be happy. I haven't even said anything to them yet about how Nate's therapist thinks a move to a city like Seattle would be the best thing for him. She feels the south is just too rigid (continued...)