“Unlocking Fear: 50 Haunting Words That Will Leave You Breathless and Bewildered”
I don’t remember what I ended up telling him, or maybe he got distracted by something more interesting before I thought of something. But I’ve never forgotten that encounter and have tried to live my life in a way that answers that question. Not that I always succeed. I often wonder what became of him.
When I was 15, my mom had me sit on the couch when I got home from school because she had something ‘difficult’ to tell me. My father had been arrested for solicitation of a minor. I knew what that meant, but I think my brain was trying to protect me. I had to ask her what she meant, and when she did, I vomited all over the living room. Then, I broke down in tears.
I was such a daddy’s girl growing up, and it was just inconceivable to me that he could have done something so awful. Thankfully, he was caught in an Internet sting, and no child was actually harmed. Regardless, that moment set off a 3-year period in which I was pretty much living on autopilot while my parents’ divorce and my father’s prosecution were ongoing. He ultimately didn’t serve any time. The closest thing to justice he got was dying young.
Maybe it’s the most unsettling due to recency bias but…
My grandmother died two months ago. I saw her best friend at church last weekend, and we were making small talk, and then she said, “I miss her. My phone never rings anymore.”
This lady is 94. She would talk to my grandmother on the phone every single day. They had been friends since the 40s. Eighty years of friendship is gone, and she is the only one left of her peer group. Anyone who knew her when she was young is gone. And while she has children and grandchildren who call on occasion, it’s not the same.
