This was it! For the past week, just about every other night, my mom and I have fought and fought leading up to last night’s little rounds of slamming doors.

Since the very beginning, I thought my mom’s temper was awful, like a dragon breathing fire out of its nose every 5 minutes but this past week, with all her talks of getting a Masters degree in Accounting every five minutes, I am now the dragon breathing fire.

THE AFTERMATH?

Silent treatment to see who breaks first.  It’s never me.  Also in the midst of the silent treatment, not only is my heart pounding like crazy with all the potential worries ahead but I am also angry and I don’t mean like just plain angry, I mean like smoke could be coming out of my ears any second angry.

How do I stop this madness? And all this was because she couldn’t make up her damn mind! She wants me to add the classes I dropped a week ago back onto the summer term.  I know you’re scratching your head like I’m not seeing the problem. The problem about this situation is that this was the third time in the past week.

HOW IT START?

A few days after I graduated, she told me to add this and that class to my schedule.  All right, I gave in and surrendered to whatever she wants even though I personally have no interest of an education right now.  I mean, don’t we get some time off after graduation to maybe find a job and pay off student loans before jumping back to school?

Last Friday, after speaking to the administrator, she told me to drop all my classes, “save it for the Fall,” she said. All right, fine, that should give me a free but not quite free summer.  I still need to prep for the GMAT even though I have never even heard of it let alone take it.

Then tonight, she came home with a list of leveling courses she’s gotten from talking with the program administrator on the phone.  She waved the paper at me like a flag that said, “I don’t have to take as many classes than you. Na nee na nee na na”  Then, she was like “add those classes back.”

In that very second, I went from calm to angry, not crazy angry.  I reasoned with her at first and she actually apologized! That was the first.  However, she continued to talk on and on about the class schedule throughout dinner and after.

You know, she always says she’s exhausted but for an exhausted person, she sure talks a lot.  So I calmly explained to her, you know, I will do this and that and anything you want, just stop talking about dang class schedule.

Then she just started shouting.  I didn’t know what to do, so I defended myself.  As I wrote in my speech, it is important to stand up for yourself, right?

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE…

By 8:30 pm, the dragon began breathing again and by that, I mean my mom.  I can no longer enjoy my show with all the shouting, I shut off the TV and marched up to my room to work on my novel.  Then she said, “Every time I need to discuss something with you, you walk away.”

I sighed and walked back down. “Discuss what? I’ve already registered for all the classes.  What’s there to discuss?”

“There are tons!” She roared and then her temper flared. Shouts began shooting my way as I tried to shield it as best as I could.

Then out of the blue, an idea hit me. I gathered my clothes and took a long shower, hoping it would give her just enough time for her to calm down.  It somewhat worked, she’s moved onto the next phase, the silent treatment.  Everything grew quiet and I could finally work on whatever I want.

Not for long though, at around 9-something, she bursting into my room and demanded more yelling.  I needed to defend myself.  So I shouted back.  Then of course, my voice isn’t so good lately and my throat is feeling kind of scratchy.  Anyway, my voice got coarse very quickly and I couldn’t do it anymore, tears uncontrollably welled up in my eyes.  I’ve shown my weakness, there’s no going back.  I have to fight ’til the end, after all, this was the Unwinnable War.