Well, things were going good. I’d picked us up some goodies from the convenience store and had movies for us to watch until the countdown to the new year. We began the evening with ‘Shrek 2’ ~ televised for the evening. Then we moved on to one of Nella’s favorite DVD’s, ‘Love, Actually’. It focuses on Christmas and the new year, so I figured it’d be good. But, about 20 minutes into it she demanded ‘Shaun of the Dead’, so I obliged and put it on for her.

We both settled under the covers and watched the movie ~ good spirits abounding! Our nibbles were happily munched on and it really seemed like it would be a good night....................

.............until they came home.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 10:30 pm my friend and her daughters came home. I don’t know why and I didn’t intend to ask. I know she’d made the effort to have her youngest at a friend’s house and the older one I’d guessed was to be by her dad. But, she had planned to be child free so that she could spend New Year’s Eve with her loser boyfriend ~ freshly out of jail!

I heard the front door open and my heart sank. “It’s ok. She was here earlier and probably wants to pick up something. Don’t worry, they’ll be gone soon!”. Oh, if only that were the case! The oldest, disgusting child pushed her way into the bedroom and began spouting bullshit about resolutions. “New Years is stupid!”

She then went on about other crap I didn’t want to hear. Her: “LA sucks!” - Me: “Why?” - Her: “It’s full of Mexicans” - me: “Excuse me?? What’s wrong with Mexicans??” - Her: “Uh, nothing” - Me: “then why say that?” - Her: “Well, it also has this bar where everyone is naked”. Clearly all that crap came from her ignorant, shit-for-brains father who’d she’d spent Christmas with. And, yes, it was pretty obvious that her tiny, ten year old brain felt that this was the best way to address the fact that our leaving was upsetting her ~ I’ve just had my fill of ignorance and couldn’t deal with it! I, instead, turned my attention back to the kid and effectively ignored her until she went away. I’m sorry, but I have my own kid to think of and I can’t have her influenced by her ignorant, racist, bigoted, bullshit. Actually, I’ve found that the best way to positively influence that one is to let her know (in that way) that she’s not welcome when she acts that way.

So, we watched ‘Shaun of the Dead’ until 11:47pm, when I turned on the tv to watch the ball drop. I did my best to ignore them and their loud conversation about her mother being broke. I had earlier made a trip to the bathroom and considered poking my head out to ask when they’d be leaving. But, decided it was best to not say anything, for fear she’d hit me up for money.

Shortly before midnight I heard my friend say loudly, “Here comes the new year!”, and I yelled back a “Happy new year!”, even if I didn’t mean it.

By 12:30am we’d had our New Years Eve kisses and hugs and surely were filled with way too much candy! Donnella was even kind enough to giggle with delight as I sang (badly!) “New York, New York” just after the ball dropped. And, as a follow up to ‘Shaun of the Dead’, Nella requested ‘Hot Fuzz’ and was fast asleep within a few minutes of it beginning.

In the other parts of the house, the new year was rung in with everyone in separate rooms ~ no one celebrating ~ no one exchanging hugs or kisses ~ no one even saying “Happy New Year!”. Within a half hour the older one was back at the door asking if I would “keep an ear out” for her sister, since they wanted something from the store. I said “sure” ~ really, where am I gonna go?????

I have to keep this memory and save it. The saddest New Year’s Eve I’ve ever witnessed! It just continues to boggle my mind how a mother can isolate and alienate her kids on days when they should be excited and happy. I mean, my kid really had no idea what the day meant and when the news showed the celebrations in Australia and Japan, she just kept saying “I don’t wanna fireworks!”. Of course she didn’t! She just wanted to get on to her frickin’ movie! But, as the ball was dropping and I quietly lead her in the countdown, she was bursting at the seams with excitement! And, as the broadcast showed all the couples kissing, I said “Ok, we need to have our New Year’s kiss!” and she couldn’t stop laughing at how silly it was.

After I started up ‘Hot Fuzz’, I turned off the lights and settled into bed next to the evil one. After a few minutes, I looked over and saw that she was asleep and my thoughts then turned to my sons. Being so much older than their sister, I knew that they weren’t fast asleep, but probably still watching movies with their step mother or going online to wish their friends a happy new year. I have to tell you that the image really saddened me as it only reminded me how the children here do not have a happy new year to look forward to. I’m sure it doesn’t surprise anyone that the older girl hates new years eve. Even if she’s not mature enough to realize it, she has to be at least vaguely aware that the coming year won’t bring a happy change to her current situation. Well, at least not yet........and the change that I am seeing to, won’t be happy at first. But, I can only pray that in the next few months things will seem brighter for them.

So, even with the “intrusion” our New Years Eve went off pretty well. Just like Hanukkah, I kept us to ourselves to celebrate and it worked out just fine. This was really Nella’s first, since she’d always fallen asleep early in the previous years and last year I was working on the day. And, though my preference would have been to be in better surroundings ~ like our own place! ~ it was still pretty nice because we were together.

The whole neighborhood was quiet, with the exception of a couple fireworks that were let off. That only reminded me of Heather ~ the coon-ass that had relocated to Big Spring with us ~ and that first New Years Eve there. Despite the ban on fireworks that year, there she was ~ a vision of embarrassment from my window ~ lighting them off at midnight! Keisha and I nearly killed her the next day! But, the memory only made me smile and wish for her a good year where ever she is now. I’m certain that ours will be full to the brim with goodness and wish for nothing less than the same for everyone else!