Have I told you lately how much I love Sweetie Pie’s? Each week I find myself giggling along with the Montgomery family antics, reflecting about my own and craving fried chicken.  Seriously!  With the doors of the Upper Crust finally opened, it was back to business as usual.  Well…less a head chef, some cooking staff and two major events on the family’s plate.  As Miss Robbie struggled to fill in the gap, she was also working hard to pull together an important 3-day event…the Montgomery family reunion.  Family was descending from all over to capture a little family time.  The events kicked off at the Upper Crust where Robbie treated the entire family to some heavenly southern cooking.   Even though Tim briefly stopped by, poor Miss Robbie was almost bound to the kitchen.  This was one time she didn’t need to be so short staffed.  Although she was within yelling distance, she didn’t seem to get as much time as she had hoped.    Working through it she tried to stay focused on the BBQ that was taking place the following day.

Tim was focused on something totally different.  He had committed to catering at an event with 3,000 people on Sunday, the last day of the reunion.  It seemed that Tim was determined to prove to his mom that he could be a success at the helm of Mangrove.  His “all business” attitude left very little time for family…and it didn’t go unnoticed.  In fact the entire weekend served as a reminder to never bite off more than you can chew.   While Tim didn’t make the effort to show up at all that weekend, he did put in a brief appearance the first night.  As I watched Jenea and Charles taking in the events, I paused.  It was unfortunate that no one offered to step in and free her up.   Maybe they did off-scene…I hope they did.   The older I get the more I realize how important family opportunities are.  

Before it was over, Miss Robbie made it a priority to show up at church no matter how shorthanded the restaurant was.  The only one who was missing was Tim.  With lines wrapped around the building (as usual), Tim was trapped at the Mangrove taking care of customers and preparing for the 3,000 people he was going to be serving at the event later in the day.  Meanwhile, Miss Robbie boarded the charter bus that her family had piled into on their way out of town with a last minute plea for more time.  Regrets of lost moments spilled over her.    Tears came to her eyes as she worried whether Tim would ever get it.  Would his priorities ever shift and would he be able to finally put family first?

But Tim wasn’t the only one who seemed about clueless this episode.  As many viewers know, Charles is the relative who never does anything.  Still living like a high school teenager, his room was in shambles.  Clothes and garbage everywhere and his cousin, Monique had finally reached her limit.  Not only was a foul odor seeping from his room, he was regularly staying out until the early morning hours.   He wasn’t helping out around the house and his lifestyle was creating a negative impact on Monique’s life. 

Unsure of what to do, she turned to his mom for advice.   Sadly she didn’t seem surprised and implied that Monique should have known what to expect.  She had already given up on her son and on parenting him.  In fairness, he is an adult and responsible for his own actions.  It just shocks me because although I have finally stepped into my forties, my mom still tells me like it is.  Feeling she had no alternative, Monique sat Charles down and asked him to look for somewhere else to live.  His eyes dropped and for a moment I felt bad for Charles.  He felt unwanted, but that SO wasn’t the issue.   His family wanted to help, but Charles wasn’t willing to help himself.  All eyes were on him waiting for him to grow up.   Maybe this will be the catalyst that finally catapults him into change.   We will have to watch and see!