A decade

I do not remember exactly what day my grandmother died, but it ten years ago on a weekend in February around Valentine's Day and before her birthday (that she shared with my Mom). This weekend fits the bill, and it is amazing what happens in a decade.

I wrote a bit about how my grandfather has changed. Everyone's family has their thing, but I thought we already had that thing covered with my uncle, the (recovering?) alcoholic. [Recovering is a question because whenever it was that he last contacted my grandfather maybe two years ago, he claimed he had been sober for some months.] Now there is a potential court date because my grandfather has been brainwashed and accuses my mother of stealing from him and claims she is unfit as a co-trustee. He is working with his new wife's lawyer, which seems like a big ol' conflict of interest if you ask me. Lest you think I only portray one version of the story, there is lots of other information about my grandfather's wife's past that includes name changes, leaving town, coming back to town, children with no jobs living in housing my grandfather is paying for, new cars purchased, money gifted, and the list of crazy things that play into the story go on and on...

What type of woman in her later years would marry an older man who is unhealthy if they clearly give no inclination of actually taking care of him? Is it suspicious that every time my grandfather is living with said woman, he ends up in the hospital or assisted living in a short period of time for health purposes? Who thinks that they will some day go to court and defend their mother against her father? Who thinks that there are people out there who finagle their way into an old man's wallet so far that they turn that man against his own daughter?

These are, of course, rhetorical questions, because sadly I am sure this happens more than you would expect. It just makes you feel bad inside.