SLIDER

That Time I Got Pushed Too Far



Story time!

Once there was a young couple named Dick and Jane. 
Even though they had struggles in life just like everyone else, they were happy most of the time. They even went through a very difficult patch where everything was going wrong, but it finally got fixed and things were good, and Dick and Jane were excited with the new positive direction their life was going in, having relieved themselves of the big burden they'd been carrying for so long.

But then something happened. Jane's brother, Timmy, needed a place to live. So Dick and Jane said "Of course! Family is family. It will be hard at times, but we love you and you are welcome to live with us."

Sometimes it was hard and annoying for all concerned, but other times it was wonderful and joyous.
After a couple of years, Dick and Jane were getting burned out, and they were arguing more than they had in the entire time they'd been together before that. Dick and Jane hit a breaking point. They decided they could not do another year living with Timmy, so when the lease ended in several months, they would go their separate ways.

A few months passed and Jane's sister, Sally, moved back home from a far-away land. She stayed with family for a few weeks, but needed someplace to go after that. Well, everyone knew that when the lease ended in just two months or so, Timmy and Sally would be roommates, because in addition to be siblings, they were best buds.
Dick thought long and hard and said to Jane, "Well, Sally needs a place to stay, and she is your sister. We should offer to let her stay with us."
Jane was concerned, but also touched that Dick cared so much. She warned him it might be difficult, but Dick said "Family is family and I want to help where I can, and also, it's only for two months, tops."

Dick was wrong.

For a while, things were okay.
But where Timmy was mostly calm, Sally had much more aggressive personality.
Everyone tried hard to get along, but soon Sally and Dick were at odds all the time. Jane tried hard to keep the peace, to be a mediator, and spent long hours trying to help Dick understand how Sally must be feeling, and how hard things were for Sally and Timmy. 
She kept trying to remind everyone it was "just a little longer."
Jane could see bits of Sally's dark side coming out, but still she continued to tell Dick to be nicer, to try to be more understanding, and this was extremely frustrating for Dick, because he needed Jane to support him at this very difficult time.

Jane felt like she was being torn into ribbons.
She loved Dick and wanted him to be happy and agreed with the things he said.
But she also loved her sister Sally and her brother Timmy, and agreed with things they said.
They all had valid points.
And still Jane sought compromise, peace, defending both sides, trying to help each understand and empathize with the other. Even as her own sanity seemed to shred more with each day, still, she kept trying.

It reached the point where things were tense all the time, without any lapses between. 
The date for the move - when everyone could go their separate ways - had just been pushed back again, and Jane, who had all along been the cheerleader with the mantra "only X more weeks to go!" started to crumble and felt like the next month was going to last for a year.

One day shortly after that, Timmy snapped and started screaming at Dick, who screamed back. Timmy was so angry, he had to leave. So Timmy and Sally left the apartment.

When they left, Dick and Jane once again had words, and once again, Jane, who was beyond over it tried to get Dick to see their point of view and be the bigger man. 

A couple of hours later, Jane got a text from her Dad, who wanted to know why Dick and Jane were being such assholes.

Jane was not happy, by a longshot. She understood the need to get away, the need to vent, the need for some space and time apart. But she could not accept Sally and Timmy running home and tattling to Daddy, as Sally addressed him.

BunnyBear angry words shit just got real

So Jane called and talked to their step-mom, Marge, to find out what was going on. Marge was very good at being Switzerland. She politely inquired about things Sally had "reported on", and the last thin ribbons of Jane's patience snapped. Because many of the things Sally had "reported on" were actually blatant flat-out lies. Jane wasn't surprised, because she had grown up with Sally, and knew that Sally lied as easily as she breathed, and she knew Sally could be very toxic. But still, she loved Sally, and had defended her and sought to help whenever possible for the past several months.

Jane felt hurt and betrayed.
Jane had been pushed too far.
Jane lost her cool.




Eventually, Jane calmed down and was prepared to live in civility, if not exactly friendliness. She had calmed down, but her hurt and anger were still very raw. The following morning was quiet as Jane read news online and enjoyed a bowl of cereal. But Sally and Timmy had planned for their dad and Marge to show up to intervene. Dad and Marge were under the impression that Jane was expecting them, but it was just another in Sally's litany of assholey behaviors. Jane lost all respect for Sally, because in Jane's opinion, Sally was behaving like a petulant 12 year old.

Image result for you crossed the line meme
Up until that point, even after everything that happened, Jane just wanted peace, and to get along. But once their dad had arrived and became involved, she was DONE. Game over. All of Jane's good will had been used up.


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After that, Jane started recording her conversations with Sally, much to Sally's chagrin when she was called out on the differences between actual conversations and her "reports."
Sally decided Jane was too much of a bitch to live with, so she and Timmy packed up and moved out without notice.
Dick and Jane decided that was fine.

Yeah, kinda.:
So now it's back to being just Dick and Jane.





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