“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

I don’t include this quote today out of any insane attempt to compare my situation – or any situation in my life to the Holocaust.  I include it because, I believe it embodies how most people feel about life in general.  Despite the experiences – good and bad – we all have with one another, we always look for the best in others.  I was thinking a lot about this while The Auteur and I were at 1b’s basketball game.  Her dad was talking about attending the game last night; he ending up calling in the afternoon saying he couldn’t make it. 1B didn’t seem surprised, but I’m sure she was still disappointed.  After all, it’s her dad.  In the time that I’ve known her, 1B’s Dad will pull no-shows, bail at the last second or he and his new wife will straight-up tell 1b that they’re not interested.  In spite of all this, 1b will – as all people do – hold out and hope for the best.

This got me thinking a lot about my recent dealings with Jabba. Sometimes, I think that if Jabba knew about The Auteur’s experiences with 1B’s dad, it would really make her appreciate the kind of dad I am to The Kid.  We’re trying to make plans for The Kid’s summer visit, but are having difficulty agreeing on a time frame.  Things have been relatively peaceful between her and I – maybe because we spoken on the phone.  This makes me optimistic.  After all the crap she tried putting me through, maybe, hopefully, she’s starting to mellow out.

But then there’s the cynic in me that  is cautious because she has been so quiet.

I don’t foresee things ever being amicable between me and Jabba.  Frankly, I don’t care.  I don’t want to be friends with her, but it would be nice if we could be polite when it came to The Kid.

I talked to a lawyer earlier this week and he introduced me to the term parental alienation.  I had never heard the term before, but I am already all-too familiar with the concept.  He said it sounds like that what Jabba’s starting to do with The Kid and I. I just don’t get it.  It doesn’t have to be this way.

I guess it’s because I’m am pie-in-the-sky dreamers.  I like to think of myself as this über-cynic but the reality is that I too hold out & hope for the best even from those people who annoy the hell out of me.