Misunderstanding or Misinformed?

On our way home from skiing early yesterday evening, I sat behind the wheel as JC sat in the passenger seat. I reveled about the great weekend, chilled to the bone from the fourteen degree weather and the ungodly windshield factor and high winds as we skied. I eagerly awaited for the heat to course through my body and for the blood to begin circulating again downwards to my toes.

I was happy. I was content. We had a great weekend. My son and JC had gotten along well and I enjoyed watching the two interact. I was feeling content in the relationship. I. Was. Content.

JC has neighbors that live very close to him. They talk throughout the day. They invite him over to dinner. They take care of his dogs when he is gone from home for too long or out of town. They take the garbage down to the street together. They plow each others driveways. They ask him if he needs things from the store. In some ways, I'm envious of his close relationship with his neighbors; however, I've never been one to rely or need anyone so close, so helpful, so convenient.

On Saturday when we left JC's home, he called the neighbors to tell them he was leaving and was somewhat evasive that he "might not be home" when "Mom" brought the groceries by. He called them "Mom" and "Dad". I knew that he said that they were like his parents, but that was the first that I had ever heard him call them that, he had always referenced them by their first names. I knew that he was close to his neighbors and I just chalked it up to being friendly neighbors.

On Sunday, "Dad" had used the two-way on the Nextel to call JC and JC called him back when we were on the drive home. From the conversation I gathered that he had invited JC over for dinner. JC went on to explain that they invite him to dinner almost every night. That they had taken him "under their wing" per se, especially after the divorce, and seeing that it was just "Mom and Dad" next door they often cooked for an "army". He also said that they shop weekly for an army as well. Then he said, "You should have seen them for Y2K?" WHAT?

Y2K? Ok, that was in preparation for 1/1/2000. He and his wife (ex-wife) built their house in 2001. I'm not stupid.

So I said, "What? You knew your neighbors before you built your house?"

JC: "Well, um yeah. Remember I told you when we were first dating, my neighbors are my ex-in-laws."

If I could have run, I would have. If I could have vomited, I may have. If I could have cried, I would have. If I could have done anything, I would have. What I did do, was I put on my sun glasses and continued the drive home. I did not cry. I did not say anything. When he asked if this was "OK", a barrage of thoughts went through my mind (Was this OK? What the...? What can I say? Whom am I to say? How often does he see HER? What, how, who, when...?) I was too overwhelmed by this flood of information. This click of sorts of information that began as I put two and two together.

Because what I do recall him saying early on after we met was that his ex's in-laws lived nearby and they still kept in touch. Not that he practically shared a driveway with his ex-wife's parents. Not that his ex wife's parents still grocery shop and cook for him and treat him and consider him their son, and them his parents.