So for those of you who don't remember SS17 hasn't spoken to me since the night I voiced my objection to his drug dealing. That's been about a year and a half ago now. Shortly thereafter, he physically attacked my husband (big mistake) when DH suggested SS17's constant problems might not be everyone else's fault. SS17 then ran away to his mother's house, never to return. He has since been diagnosed with something called Oppositional Defiance Disorder and ADHD.

So after SS17 and I had our spat, he continued coming here half the time for a couple months. After he moved out, he came over for that first Thanksgiving and Christmas, no problem. We still weren't speaking, but we never talked much anyway, and at least he interacted with everyone else. Then he started refusing to come anywhere I was going to be. Family outings, his siblings' birthdays and events...if I'm there, he boycotts them. Ditto for Thanksgiving this year. He told DH he doesn't want to be around me because he'll never forgive me for a laundry list of crap I never said or did. 
 

Which makes no sense. He lived here for a couple months after we stopped talking, so I wasn't saying a bunch of horrible stuff to him then. And he kept coming to family stuff for awhile, still no horrible stuff. But he pulls a disappearing act, and suddenly I'm a verbally abusive monster?

Enter Christmas. We had our Christmas today because the Skids go back to BM's. He refused to say whether he was coming. We didn't know until he showed up, whether he was coming at all.  DH was scrambling around at the last minute, trying to make sure SS17 had enough presents to open (touching and maddening at the same time). SS17 came in, made a beeline for his sister's room, and stayed there virtually all day. He was the last to the table, spent less than 5 minutes eating, talked to no one, and disappeared again. He reappeared for presents, talked to no one, and disappeared again. He refused to come out for dessert. When it was time to go back to BM's, he left out the back door so we wouldn't cross paths.

I was dreading today. Waiting for the big showdown or whatever BS he was going to pull. But his mute avoidance had a different feel to it than in the past, and my hubs commented on it too. He was clearly uncomfortable. Here I was anxious, anticipating the mouthy jerk I know him to be, and he spends the whole day, hiding at his childhood home.

I don't know. It was just interesting. But I liked it better when he wouldn't come here.