After returning from the reunion, SO and I had a date night.  I still had simmering resentments from Lasagna-gate and finally blew a gasket when SO remarked, ‘are you still upset about that'?  WTF!  I went through it all again, including Bratty’s pesto accusations that he did not get the pleasure of witnessing.  He said the stuff he saw was mainly in the store and thought it was Bratty voicing her opinion.  He said if he had seen Bratty mouth off to me in the kitchen about the pesto he would have said something to her then but didn’t think it best to revisit it with Bratty. 

I didn’t necessarily care about punishing Bratty but I did want SO to understand I needed him to step up and have my back.  He said he understood, and he promised that he wouldn’t let Bratty drive a wedge between us.  I forgave him and we pressed ahead with our summer.

My condo sold and was scheduled to close escrow by late summer but my new home had some construction delays.  So, once my condo sold I would be technically homeless.  SO invited me to stay with him instead of scrambling around for a short-term rental.  Bratty would be headed back to school by then anyway so we’d have the place to ourselves.  It was stressful packing up a decade-plus of memories in my little condo to put into temporary storage.  SO was so great and supportive throughout.  The next few weeks in his apartment were so peaceful and happy.  We went appliance and furniture shopping for the new place.  We made nice dinners-for-two and watched movies together cuddled up on the sofa.  Even with the stress of selling one place and waiting for another to close, it was wonderful and calm with Bratty back at college.

After my new place was finally ready in October, I told SO I wanted to move in first and live there myself for a bit.  I told him that purchasing a new home was a big accomplishment for me and I wanted time to settle in individually first, but what I didn’t tell him was I was dragging my feet.  I did not want Bratty living with me when she returned for winter break.  After the Summer of Terror 1.0, I was starting to feel uncomfortable with Bratty.  I felt some stirrings of just plain dislike of her but I told myself I was being too harsh.  She was still young and had been through a lot.  Surely, she would come around.  I just needed to keep my wits about me, be consistent, and give it time.

SO agreed to wait on moving until after the New Year and just before Bratty would be returning to college for her spring semester.  Since Bratty had known they were moving for almost a year, one would think she would be accepting and prepared for it.  But of course, Bratty will always find a way to stir the pot. 

In our next chapter:  Moving Day Drama!