I sent a letter to my brother – the one who responded to the first one in June.
Just an update of Mum’s situation, her new address and how we’ve dealt with the house.
He phoned and left a message while I was at work.
He has offered to help with the “top up” for Mum’s room.
I was a little taken aback but all in all it’s a kind gesture from someone who’s shown little interest in Mum over the last few years.
His two children have grown up and one has emigrated to be with a girl friend in Melbourne, the other lives in the City near him and is becoming successfully in a tech firm.
My brother does contract work developing and maintaining web sites mainly for sports clothing shops.
They are comfortably well off so can afford to support Mum.
Our conversations are always a little strained – and odd to listen to as we have identical voices. Jo listened in and sat with her mouth open.
We have a standing joke, Gill and I, about his clockwork brain. I correctly predicted when he would phone back and that he would be on for a set time – usually 15 minutes. He did and he was.
It is kind of him but, like the hundreds of photos of him and his kids we’ve found in Mum’s house, it’s a salve to his conscience for not seeing her more often.
There was no invitation to visit his house, large but empty, or even to spend time getting to know his nephews and nieces.
I’ve promised to scan the old photos and send a Onedrive invitation to him (technofunky me eh?).
He actually opened the conversation with a chat about the weather – we haven’t spoken in three years.
Family eh?