So this weekend, Sal was trying to be helpful in his drive-by parenting way. These efforts manage to piss me off more than when he is simply routinely pathetic. Because when he approaches any level of decency the glow of self-satisfaction that comes off him is nuclear. And being that we are rapidly approaching the 2-year anniversary of the last time he paid any child support.

So I like to piss on his self-satisfaction. Especially when one of the things he feels he should get points for is taking the girls out to meals at Perkins.

I reminded him that he should pay some child support to keep us from being destitute. I told him he couldn�t just �see� or �try� that it really had to be addressed. Then I shut the door without regret.

Behind the words I chose to use was all of this:

If you have enough money to eat in a restaurant, you should pay child support. If you have enough in the budget for wine, then you should pay your child support. I am all about that. Life is not about what is convenient for you, and you don�t get to hide in your room for a week sulking if someone saw through your fa�ade.

No matter what right moves you might make in a dance, stepping on the toes of your partner still means you rate no more dancing.

Don�t ask me for any favors. You can�t use my phone. You can�t come in for a minute. You can�t have that lamp, because I�ve given you enough in my lifetime.

I have given you patience, I have given you food, I have given you understanding, I have given you the choice that I would bear and raise two of your children because you couldn�t reconcile any other decision.

When I wanted you out of my life, I gave you time to see through your clouded vision that this was what you wanted too. I was smart enough to know the choice had to be yours; gracious enough to let you make it, and grateful when it was made.

Before you even dare to think-�what did you do to deserve this response today?� Know the answer is that you did absolutely nothing for as long as you could get away with it in each and every applicable opportunity in your life. You did everything imaginable to add to my load, to insure that no matter how strong I might be I would not be able to make it up that hill with all I had been given to carry.

I know that you say that you have an affliction of smirking at inappropriate moments when you are made uncomfortable. I no longer care about your side of the story. I no longer care about your discomfort.

I will always be the dark cloud on your horizon. I contain not only thunder, but lightning.

You�re gonna have to let loose with some pretty authentic sunshine to chase this away