Would've posted earlier, but my Comcast went out for 85% of last night...and turned back on, as I was going to bed.
So...my mom has been acting strange lately. By strange, I mean, she has called me twice in the last two and a half weeks; one of the times was in response to my repeated phone calls. My mother normally calls me about 4-5 times a week, and sometimes multiple times a day. She has been doing the same with my brother, who is currently living in Germany. (Yes, she normally calls him this much too.) When I have talked to her, she and I have either 1) had extremely shallow conversations, like talking about the weather, or 2) only talked about how hard it is for her to be dating after 50. (She has been single since my parents separated 20 years ago.)
So, 2 days ago, my Aunt Rose called me. She NEVER calls me. She said "I don't want to alarm you, but your mother has not been calling me or grandma and has not returned our calls in DAYS and I'm getting worried." My mother talks to and hangs out with Aunt Rose every other day AT LEAST and would NEVER not return my grandma's calls.
So, then I called my mother and left her a voicemail and let her know that everyone is worried. She called me back a few hours later. It was such an odd conversation. She insisted that everything is fine and that she HAS been calling me! WTF! No she hasn't, and certainly not with her normal regularity! She then acts as though the few instances that we have talked have been perfectly normal & frequent.
She then proceeds to get furious that my Aunt Rose is calling people & telling them that she's worried. She then starts screaming about how she is mad that Aunt Rose didn't tell her about my cousin moving into a new apartment & only calls her to do things at the last minute & she's tired of being expected to "wait by the phone like a dog". Then I told her that "Clearly she's angry with Aunt Rose, but being passive aggressive & avoiding her calls is not going to fix anything. Calm down, call her & talk it out like adults". She then started screaming at me, asking me whose side I'm on, and forbidding me from calling my Aunt Rose or cousins & letting them know about this conversation. To which I replied "Mom, I'm an adult, and I will call whoever I like". Then she hung up on me.
I haven't heard from her since. She's acting really bizarre and I'm not sure what to do. It's clear to me that she's very lonely. I live in Boston and she lives in New York, so I can't exactly pop down there and check on her; nor would I feel safe/comfortable doing so and staying at her house knowing that she's in some mood. I don't know if she's depressed or if something else is going on.
What are your thoughts?