Alan

Who knows? I have had one more bitter and twisted thought. It's said up-thread that Alice expected Rory and Eddie to open the Box of Doom together. I don't think that's reasonable. Alice actually includes a note threatening Rory if he opens it alone. Now a reasonable 16 year old might not open it. A 16-year old going through what Alice has put Rory through has zero, zip, nada chance of not opening it alone. Gina intended Rory to read her (not Alice's) letter long before he met Eddie. If Alice wanted the Box of Doom opened when Eddie was there she should have ensured that by sending it to Eddie's office. Sending a private letter by Gina to Eddie to an address where it will almost inevitably reach Rory first is just another way to disrespect Eddie as the custodial parent and probably justifies pouring saltwater on the cactus before seating Alice on it.

Maybe if the controversy gets heated again it will bring us Chapter 9. I think Grandma Alice needs to be seated firmly on a large cactus and left there for an extended period, preferably measured in days or weeks rather than hours. (1) She's ignored Gina's wishes and violated the trust Gina placed in her. (2) She's taken a parenting decision out of Eddie's hands and made it for him without his knowledge. (3) She's sent a recently bereaved teenager off to live with a complete stranger while doing everything she possibly can (intentionally or otherwise) to ensure that Rory and Eddie, at best, get off to a very shaky start. (4) The theory that she is not accountable to anyone (particularly Eddie) and can impose decisions at will (or whim) and then demand apologies simply defies belief. Gina wanted Rory to have the letter soon after the funeral. Some delay would be understandable. Seven months is not soon and not forgivable. Gina wanted Rory to know his father's sexuality before he went to Arizona. Gina also wanted Rory to know why his father had been absent from his life. Alice had no right to override Gina's wishes, even if she thought them wrong. Eddie is Rory's father and now has his care and custody. Eddie, not Alice, gets to make decisions about Rory's welfare. At the absolute minimum she had a duty to tell Eddie she had disregarded Gina's instructions. Bereaved kids have trust issues. Setting Rory up to distrust his father is unacceptable behaviour. The argument that Eddie and Rory are better off finding things out for themselves is practically and morally deficient. The practical problem is that 16 year olds just don't know enough about the world to shoulder that sort of burden. The moral problem is that, even if closeting Rory and Eddie to each other were a good idea, it's not what Gina asked her to do. No-one died and made Alice king. Gina certainly did not die and tell Alice to send Rory to live with strangers under the worst possible circumstances. Seriously, what was to happen? A grieving, angry and resentful boy is supposed to waltz up to Eddie at the airport and say something along the lines of 'Hi, perfect stranger that I don't know and don't want to know because you abandoned me, I have no idea why I'm supposed to live with you but I don't have any other choice, and by the way I'm gay?' On second thoughts, forget the time limits. Alice should live out her days on the cactus.