Crying Over Spilled Milk... Literally

I dedicate this post to my sister Tracy, as in her comments from my last posting inspired this topic.

The "Great Salad Debacle" of Memorial Day, 2008 was proceeded by the "Incident of the Spilled Milk" in the winter of 2004.

It was my first apartment by myself. I had lived with my brother after graduating and then with roommates. In the summer of 2003, I decided I wanted a place on my own. I had a good job and felt ready for this step. What I didn't account for was the numerous weddings, babies, bridal showers, bachlorette parties and baby showers I would become inundated with in late 2003 and into 2004. I choose to believe I went into debt due to the life events of my friends rather than because I bought too many Coach purses that year, but I'm sure it's a combination of both.

In early 2004 it was freezing. I couldn't keep my apt above 67 without it running constantly, so I had an electric blanket on my couch. I was struggling, but I never really let on how much. I made enough to cover my expenses, but was in a holding pattern when it came to paying down my debt. I knew down to the cent how much money I had to spend on groceries, car payment and bills and I lived very frugally in order to continue to pay down my consumer debt.

My brother often visited me at my apartment. I love him to death, but the boy is a human trash compacter when it comes to scarfing down food. He ravenous. On this particular day, he walked into my house, said hi, hugged me and announced he was hungry. I had 1/4 of a cup of milk left which I specifically reserved for the food I was preparing that week. Matt walked into my kitchen, grabbed a bowl proceeded to prepare a bowl of cereal. I asked him not to drink my milk--- that there wasn't enough for a bowl of cereal and that I needed the milk for the rest of the week. My brother thought I was kidding. I mean seriously, it was a 1/2 gallon container of milk... not something to break the bank. He ignored me, made his cereal, laughed when there wasn't enough milk, brushed past me, sat on my couch, turned on my TV, and ate his cereal!

Words cannot describe my rage in this scenario. I thought to myself, this son of a bitch strolls into MY house, Disregards MY wishes, eats MY food, on MY couch, watching MY TV!!! I felt disrespected and indignant that my sentiments could be brushed aside so easily. Without a word, I grabbed my keys and left, knowing if I stayed I would lose my control. I drove around and calmed myself down. Upon returning to my apartment, my brother realized that I didn't just take out the trash, I had left. Therefore, he left, too and was gone by the time I returned.

I received an angry phone call from him about leaving him in my apartment without saying anything. I laid into him... Tears streaming and all. I swear, my poor brother couldn't get past the part about arguing over milk. I kept saying, "Matt forget the milk. It's not the milk... It's what the milk REPRESENTS" So then he tried to determine what led up to this. Is it that time of the month, am I fighting with Mom, is everything OK at work? I got more and more upset, thinking "No, you idiot, I'm upset with YOU coming in to MY house and acting like YOU OWN IT..!

The fight eventually resolved. My brother came over the next week w/ a jug a milk to which I made wonderful tapioca pudding for us.

Now I'm more financially stable. I look forward to my brother's visits. I always keep a 12 pack of Diet Sunkist (I won't touch the stuff) for him as well as vitamin water and snackies. Hell, 2 days ago I gave him salad, a turkey bagel sandwich, 2 advil, vitamin water, AND sat through a 1/2 hour of BRAVEHEART.

I think i've grown.