Yellow truth

I called my mom's house on Thanksgiving Day to wish her a happy thanksgiving. No one picked up the phone. I called her cell phone, twice, and left her a message. No returned call. I also called my brother and left a voicemail. Again, no returned call.

The day came and went, and I hadn't heard from any of them. Then I thought, maybe they were in a terrible accident and they're in the hospital. But wouldn't someone have called me?

I called the house again on the Friday after Thanksgiving. My mom picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom."

"Oh, hi." She then proceeded to answer a question I had asked two voicemails ago.

Then I said, "So how was your thanksgiving?"

"Oh it was good. It was just your brother and I so we went to Old Country Buffet," she said. "It was so crowded. How was yours?"

"Oh, it was good too. Had it with another couple, and we brought some side dishes."

"Oh, good to hear it was good."

"So, um, why didn't you call me back yesterday?"

"Oh," she said. Then she gave a huff of a laugh and said, "Oh, cell phone reception is bad here."

That's funny. Cell phone reception seems to work fine the other 649,932,091 times you've called me to ask about how to turn on the computer or change your screensaver.

"Oh, um, okay," I said. "Well, talk to you later."

"Take care," she said.

"Bye."

So my mom is lame. Emotionally unavailable and lame. Which I hate to admit, but I am too sometimes. I suppose I could have called my mom out on her lameness and stated the italicized thought above. But then would I have wanted to hear the Yellow truth? That she didn't want to call me back and wish me a happy thanksgiving? That these holiday sentiments are a product of my American assimilation and only encourage maudlin triteness? That, quite frankly, she didn't want to talk to me that day or the day before?

I told the Fiance this and he is always hesitant to rag on my mom. He just hoped we wouldn't be like that with our kids.

Here's to hoping that emotional unavailability is a cultural trait, not a genetic one.