For as long as I could remember, Isis and Suchus never voluntarily used our landline or house phone. It was a deeply entrenched and controlling house rule that was instinctively obeyed. So strictly was the rule followed that my children subconsciously ignored the sound of the phone ringing altogether.
Sadly, my children utilized that very device to engage in an endlessly recurring activity. They primarily used our house phone to conduct required conversations with their paternal grandparents, Filly and Milly. Ironically, it was the house rule that eventually led to the demise of all phone communication.
This Ends Here
Like clockwork, Dolus began feverishly texting on his phone. The long pauses between his activity informed me whether he was communicating with one or both of his parents. Then, with dreadful knowing, I held my breath and waited for Dolus to grab the house phone and say, “Come on, kids. Mema and Papa are about to call you!”
Without fail, Isis and Suchus immediately halted their activities and obediently appeared before Dolus in preparation for the call. Both children knew from their grandfather’s previous lectures that anything less than a prompt appearance was disrespectful to their elders.
Without deviating, the calls always followed the same format. Dolus would either have the children sit and wait for an incoming call or he would dial his mother’s phone number before handing the phone to my daughter. Regardless of how the call was initiated, Isis was always the first slated to converse with the grandparents.
With blatant disinterest, Milly and Filly could be heard making small talk with their granddaughter for nothing more than a few minutes. Then Isis, who was required to remain present for the duration of the call, would make the handoff to Suchus. This transfer was always followed by Milly’s and Filly’s roaring laughter, excessive compliments and endless encouragement all directed toward their grandson.
I hated every minute of every disgusting call my children had to bear. Dolus had underestimated me. After our Valentine’s Liberation Day, I vowed that Isis and Suchus would never be forced to endure that hell again.
It All Comes Full Circle
Although we were “working things out”, Dolus began making very uncomfortable requests in the weeks following his departure. In addition to demanding that I either sell our house as quickly as possible or refinance it in my name, he tasked me with organizing and maintaining phone communication between his parents and my children. The audacity of his demand angered and further wounded me. None of that mattered, however, because unless Isis and Suchus initiated it, I would protect their mental health from their grandparents’ bizarre behavior by refusing instruction.
“I prefer that your parents call the children. They have called them before,” I stated through a text message on February 25, 2021. “We are all adults, and Isis and Suchus are their grandchildren. I honestly prefer not to be your parents’ facilitator given their role in our troubled marriage.”
“I didn’t want to respond last night because I was slightly annoyed,” Dolus responded early the following morning. “Now you say you don’t want to be the facilitator…but when I call the house phone no one answers.”
Sarcasm was unlikely to have been included with my response at that point in my life. If, however, I were to travel back in time and respond with the spirit I have today, I would have replied, “Of course no one would answer the phone. Doing so would be against the house rules!”
