They return two hours later and Nick starts cooking. Chris and Tim still "on their walk" in a village that is navigable in the space of about a half hour, and allowing for the subzero weather and the floridian's propensity to think anything hovering at 60 is "freezing", clearly they are somewhere heated.

We start eating dinner, finally, I listen as Tony picks at Nick about the food and other things, Nick silently takes it. I ask him later why he doesn't say something, expect respect from his own brother... he doesn't know what to say. Nick, Tony and I begin playing Texas Hold Em Poker with Mom, with Rita watching, the boys return from the bar, sloshed. I hear them laughing uproariously, amused in their stupor. Chris stumbles into the kitchen, makes a drink and then goes out to the garage to smoke. Tim keeps meandering between the garage and the house, making comments about, "How that was some of the best shit he ever had." and "That shit was great." Comments not typically attached to alcohol, but rather to drugs. I feel my skin grow several shades darker. God I am sick of this shit. On his last comment, I stand and tell him to shut up.

Tim comes in and wants to play poker with us, so we explain the rules and get into the game. I watch him, his eyes are wild, he is erratic and animated. Indeed, a curious state for alcohol. The game finally winds down, Chris comes back into the house and we settle about the table to talk about their visit to see Grandfather.

Immediately, Tim relates how Grandfather made a comment to him about how he let him down, the last time he came up to visit. Tony gets irritated and turns to Chris and Nick, asking if he stood up for Tim, to which they state that they said nothing. Tim says "no, I deserved it." Tony gets ticked and says no one deserves that kind of picking and proceeds to get more upset. Chris starts telling Tony that "I want you to go visit him, for me." Tony says that he planned to see him, but that he would see him when he was ready, and for him not to tell him what to do. Mom starts explaining that she has had problems going to see him herself since he last went into the hospital and nearly died from his relationship with his crooked caretaker. Chris looks at her and tells her he doesn't believe anything that happened during that time - the fact that his caretaker took over $15,000 from Grandfather, that he wasn't eating, nor taking his medicine correctly, that he ended up in the hospital nearly dead in insulin shock. He further comments on how he felt it was wrong for mom to force Grandfather into the hospital and for Tony to have flown to Ohio at the time to take control of Grandfather's finances (which is how we discovered the caretaker stealing the money and using credit cards.)

They both blow up, screaming at Chris and Tim, Nick leaves the room for the living room. "How dare you question something that had to be done to keep him alive. Where were you?" Chris immediately changes the subject, talking about how it didn't upset him to hear Grandfather talking that way to Tim. A gasket breaks in my head again, I look at him and say, "Yeah, you are so not upset that you spend the last two hours at the bar and since, drinking your ass off." I stand and walk out of the kitchen, ignoring his "You don't understand anything." I don't understand anything... I was only here doing the things that you should have been doing to help your sisters and brother with your father... I don't understand a damn thing.

I start watching the movie in the living room, listening to Tony and Mom go at it with Tim and Chris in the kitchen. Lisa kept perching on the edge of the couch, looking through the opening to see if mom was alright in the midst of the yelling, I kept waving her down, "Stay out of it. She is fine." Clearly she isn't used to fireworks like I am.

I hear Chris sobbing, as if his head were on his arms on the table, muffled, "You just don't understand, he's my father... I saw what Grandfather did to him... you just don't understand." I roll my eyes, disbelieving the circle continuing on. God I am sick of this. Mom tells him he is full of crap. "You have no excuses for this. You chose everything." and "You aren't going to dictate to me that what I did was wrong, when you refused to get involved."

Tony basically tells them both to go to hell. Mom leaves the room, Tony comes out to watch the movie. Chris and Tim make some drinks and go out to the garage to smoke, talking to Rita. I walk out there to get a pepsi for Tony (who needs a fridge when your garage keeps everything colder anyway). Rita makes a funny comment, I naturally laugh and turn to go... Chris makes a comment and mocks my laugh, digging at me again. I think of what an ass he is as I close the door and return to the living room.

Rita and Sara make up the bed and go to sleep. Chris stumbles in late and falls asleep on the mattress in the living room. Tim comes upstairs and sleeps in the extra bed. Nick falls asleep in a chair (that has to hurt). I pray it all ends soon.