When I was approximately nine years old, my mom took off for an unknown place.
My dad must have seen it coming a mile away, because he didn’t seem especially agitated by it.
Instead, he took over sole parent duties, plus life carried on essentially the same. It wasn’t until years later, when I was graduating school, that I heard from her again! She sent me a card with money in it, telling me how she was extremely proud of me. It turns out she had run off to a community of artisans to make handmade furniture with her secret bestie, who was now her spouse. She invited me to visit, plus see the studio where she made her custom built furniture. It was an awkward experience, however I am really happy that I chose to go, mostly because I came away with some of the most amazing wooden furniture I’ve seen. At least I can see if my mom ran away for a psychotic reason. She totally did it better than anyone else could have, because her handmade furniture was selling in local galleries for thousands of dollars. Not hundreds, but thousands, all for self-explanatory but elegant wooden tables, chairs, plus bedroom sets. What was pretty much rustic, traditional woodwork had been elevated, plus now was thought to be extravagant high end furniture. Making this custom built furniture was a big area of the life my mother felt she needed to be living. I don’t suppose her giving me a lot of handmade wooden furniture earns my forgiveness, but I don’t mind it!