And so the saga continues… I apparently had a phone call just a few hours after I fell asleep, around 9-ish. I didn’t check my phone for texts and calls until after I’d been up a while, around 3-ish. I have a VM from one of Joe’s teacher’s, so I return the call.
She tells me Joe had his head down on his desk and she told him it wasn’t time to sleep, it was time to work – this was his first period class. She told me he escalated rapidly, telling her he didn’t feel like working today and leave him alone. [He said she cussed him out at this point. Joe, like other members of his family, has a flair for drama and embellishing to make himself look better – he thinks.] She told him she would call home, he applauded when she called and left me a message. [He said she cussed him out again at this point.] She said he told her he couldn’t handle this crap and walked out of her class. [He said he stayed near by and saw her yelling and berating a student not in her class, so he walked out of the building.] After she relayed all of this to me, I told her about James and that I suspected his mother was filling his head with the possibility James’ actions were Joe’s fault. I said I knew it was no excuse for his behavior, but she agreed – it made it more understandable and she felt bad for pushing him so hard. She asked if I would kindly call or text if I suspected Joe was in a bad mood, in the future, and she would alter how she handles him, which I agreed to do.
She then checked and said Joe was absent all day. He didn’t just leave her class, but the entire school. Well, she said he wasn’t there for block two – I didn’t realize block two meant the entire school day, I had thought his day was divided into 3-4 blocks. When he didn’t come home at 4:15, I texted him and asked where he was… did I forget an activity, again? I knew I hadn’t, I was giving him an out, basically. He texted back that he didn’t miss the bus and would call me shortly.
He said he called Mommy Dearest this morning and she volunteered to pick him up, let him spend the day with her. Joe, trying to make this sound better for his mother, told me she did say he should not skip school… yet, neither one called to let me, the custodial person, know what was going on. He said he vented to his mother’s case-manager and felt better – but stated if he’d been a better brother, James wouldn’t have done what he did.
At 11:05 he still wasn’t home. I texted him and said he had not checked in for three hours, it is a school night and he needed to come home now. He was dropped off at 11:37.
After putting his school bag up, Joe came out – wouldn’t look at me, definitely had attitude and said, “I don’t know how you’re going to take this but I can’t go to school tomorrow.” I asked why; he said he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. I told him since he told me he was upset, I’d let him stay home tomorrow and would make sure it was excused – but he was on his own for leaving today, he’d made bad decisions and had to face the consequences. I did tell him I had already spoken to his first period teacher and let her know what he was dealing with, and she would not push for punishment concerning his actions this morning. [He didn’t thank me, either.]
More proof of the toxicity of Mommy Dearest… Joe thinks James’ suicide attempt is his fault! He hasn’t seen or spoken to James in over three months – yet Mommy Dearest has had visits and phone calls with him. That woman is so sick!
I’m outtie….