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My Question of the Day: Ever since Rebecca’s sister, Yvonne, got married to Aven, she’s pulled further and further away from the family. Their parents are very concerned over this. Before her marriage, Yvonne had a great job, many friends, called her family members at least two or three times a week and visited at least one or two family members or friends once or twice a week. Now just getting Yvonne to return a phone call has because almost impossible.
Aven didn’t want Yvonne to work, so she quit her job. He would get angry and jealous when she went out with her family or friends, so she quit doing that, too. When anyone calls their house, only Aven answers the phone and never allows Yvonne to speak, telling whomever is on the other line that Yvonne is busy and will call back when she’s available, which is almost never these days.
Rebecca is fed up with all of the nonsense, so she gets in her car and drives over to Yvonne and Aven’s home. When she first rings the doorbell, no one answers. She knows that both Aven and Yvonne are home, because both their cars are parked in the driveway. Rebecca continues to ring the doorbell until she hears footsteps on the other side of the door. Aven rips the door open and glares at Rebecca.
“What’s wrong with you! Why are you ringing our doorbell like a crazy woman?” Aven blocks the door with his body, so Rebecca can’t see into the house.
“I want to see my sister,” Rebecca spits out at him.
“She’s busy! I’ll have her call you!” Aven continues to glare at Rebecca and refuses to open the door far enough for her to see in.
“What’s that awful smell?” Rebecca turns up her nose.
“What smell?”
“It smells like, I don’t know, rotten meat. Where’s Yvonne? I want to talk to her.”
“She’s busy! Didn’t you hear me?”
“YVONNE!” Rebecca stands on her toes swaying her body left and right trying to see past Aven into the house, but she can’t see over his shoulders.
“Could you go now. I don’t want to be rude and close this door in your face. Yvonne will call you later.” Aven still glares at Rebecca, but his voice is even and calm.
“I’m not going anywhere until I see my sister. If you close this door on me, I’m going back to my car and calling the police. YVONNE?!?!” Rebecca again tries to look around Aven into the house. After what seems like forever to Rebecca, Aven relents.
“Wait right there. She can come to the door for three minutes if it’ll get you off my porch!” Aven closes the door and Rebecca hears the lock click. A few minutes later, Rebecca hears the lock click again and Yvonne pulls the door open slightly.
“Hey, sis. Can you come out and talk to me?”
“Uh… What do you want, Becca? I’m busy.” Yvonne’s tone was tight and stressed. Rebecca walks closer to the door and starts to whisper something, but Yvonne’s eyes darted quickly to the right over and over, signalling that Aven is behind the door and Rebecca steps back.
“Well, when can I come back and see you?” Rebecca signs “R U O K” to her sister. Both women learned the American Sign Language alphabet years before.
“No, Becca. I don’t think you should come over here without calling. I’m married now, and I can’t just drop everything because you want to sit and visit.”
“Well…” Before Rebecca can say anything else, Yvonne is snatched back from the open door and it is slammed in Rebecca’s face.
As Rebecca walks away, she thinks to herself, “Did her “no” mean she’s not all right or don’t come here without calling?”
What do you think, and what would you do in this situation?
(more…)
My Question of the Day: Imagine you’ve been plugging away at a new eating and exercise plan. You’ve been working your programs for the last three months, and you can see light at the end of the long tunnel. You’re within 10 pounds of meeting your weight-loss goal, and you’ve totally relearn how to eat, keeping portion control in mind and limiting, not banishing, junk food. One day at work, you get an email from the company president, saying that s/he wants to take the entire office out to dinner to show his/her appreciation for all your hard work and dedication. S/he gives the place and time for the dinner, and it is a restaurant that you have completely avoided since starting your new health regimen. You know this restaurant prepares food in a way that totally, 100% goes against your diet plan and you know there’s nothing on their menu that will fit your needs. What do you do?
