LJ Idol Season 11, Week 9: Blood Harmony
They say blood is thicker than water. Well, my mother and I were like oil and water. No matter how hard I tried, I could never seem to please her.
Then, we made a discovery.
Mom’s cousin was a travel agent, and she invited Mom along on a trip as she had someone cancel after the deadline, and she couldn’t refund them unless someone else took the spot.
I was envious of the fact Mom was getting to go to Ireland, but kind of looking forward to a week without her, some time alone with Dad and, to be honest, a bit of peace that I never seemed to find living with her.
Then the situation changed. I opened a small package on my birthday and there was my passport, an itinerary, and an air ticket to Dublin. I was going WITH Mom. I smiled as expected, but inside, I was panicking. How was I going to survive rooming with my mom for a whole week?
April came, and we headed off to Ireland. And that week, I made another, very large discovery, that I wish I had discovered years before. Mom and I got along perfectly well on neutral territory. Finally, finally, some blood harmony. We were acting like I had always dreamed a real mom and daughter would.
Unfortunately, when we got home, we were back at it hammer and tongs.
My father was thrilled with even the short period of bonding, and a few years later was able to afford to send us on another trip, to Germany this time. Unfortunately that was the last trip we were able to take before she got sick, but I will be forever grateful for those two trips, these two incredibly short bits of our lives where we got along well, in harmony.