More suspicious behavior.

That weekend we decided to visit Ursula's parents. Her father was in the hospital with complications from diabetes. Anita's younger sister Ingrid and her husband Tim were going to be visiting too so they could could go see Anita's father. I was glad that there would be someone else to talk to over the weekend. When we arrived her mother failed to greet me in her usual manner which was to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. This time she just said "hello". Her unusual, distant behavior bothered me, but I didn't pay too much attention to it.

On Sunday morning Anita, Ingrid, Tom and I went to a local flea market. As soon as we arrived, Anita and Ingrid went off on their own and Tom and I were left to tour the grounds. I had been so isolated at work that I was thrilled to have someone to interact with in a normal manner. However, after a few minutes, Tom made some excuse to leave and he never returned. Tom's sudden departure bothered me and it almost seemed as if he was avoiding me. I rationalized that "they" could not possibly turn my own inlaws against me, but I was getting very suspicious. Later, when it was time to go home, I found Tom and we were joined by Anita and Ingrid. No one talked all the way home.

Later that afternoon at Anita's parent's house, I walked into the living room and found Tom watching a football game on TV. When he saw me walk in the room he quickly switched channels. I was curious about the football game.

"What's the score?"

"Oh, it's 21-0 Denver". He replied.

"Why don't you put the game back on? I asked. "Who is Denver playing?"

"Green Bay," he responded.

Tom switched the game back on and we watched for awhile. Soon the score was announced; Green Bay zero, Denver zero. I just looked at Tom who sat there expressionless. I was more that disturbed by Tom's obvious lie since I was constantly bombarded with lies like that at work. It seemed like too much of a coincident. Again the suspicion and anxiety began to increase.

That evening, Ingrid and Tom were the first to depart. I was still watching football when Ingrid came over and said, "I have to give Russ a good-bye kiss." She then bent over and kissed me on the cheek. By now I was totally paranoid again and all sorts of wild thoughts raced through my head as to why Anita had kissed me "good-bye." In the eleven previous years I had known her, she had never done that and her sudden change in behavior caused even more anxiety.

After Tome and Ingrid had left, I continued to watch TV while Anita and her mother were talking in the kitchen. Finally I decided it was time to leave. I got up and walked into the kitchen just as Anita's mother was saying to her, "So you'll just have to learn to live without him." Then she looked up and saw me standing there. "I was just telling Anita I thought I could never get along without her father, but I learned how to cope now that he in no longer here." She continued. It was not something someone in my position wanted to hear.

Then there was a long period of silence. "We had better get going; it's a long drive back." I said.

As we were leaving, I walked towards Anita's mother to give her a hug when she unexpectedly shied away from me. Now I knew her failure to give me a hug and kiss when we arrived was not an accident and her actions helped confirm my suspicions that some of the things that had transpired during our two day visit were not entirely spontaneous. I left feeling even more anxious and I had a new feeling of hopelessness that had not been present before.

GOD DAMN AMERICA! IMPORTANT NOTE: Anita's family had come to America after WWII. They were German and Anita's father had designed aircraft for the German military. So Anita's mother knew what Nazi governments do to their victims. She knew I had no future - she had seen the previous Nazi empire first hand!!! It is ironic that they fled one Nazi regime to move to another.