Yesterday was hard for me writing about that time, but it was also very cleansing for me. And I am glad that I wrote about it. I don't know if I have really told anyone about that night. That night was never spoken about in our house again. A lot of things were not spoken about in our house. My mother was born and raised Catholic. So I was never given the "TALK". I remember the time when, as my mother put it, I became a young woman. I was 11, and had bad stomach pains. I went to the bathroom and well you know what happened, I remember screaming to my mom "I'm dying, Mommy, I'm dying" She came in and looked and said take a bath and here and threw me a contraption and said put this on and stop whining....WOW!!! But that was the way my mom handled stuff like that which was the only way she knew how cause that is what my grandmother said to her.
My mom was not the type that you could go to and talk about Boys, or sex. Mom told me that I was not allowed to date until I was 18! Can you imagine. Now I didn't grow up in the 50's hell I was born in 59, so I grew up in the 60's and 70's...well actually I am still growing up...hahaha. But in all seriousness I am talking about being 16 and not allowed to date.
The year was 1975 and we went to PEI for Summer Vacation. I was excited cause we were staying with my Aunt Betty and uncle Hank and their family and my cousin Nancy is their daughter. ( Nancy and I are more like sisters than cousins). I remember this summer so well cause I picked out the new car that Mom and Dad bought just before we went on vacation. It was a 1974 Dodge Dart sport and it was cream in color. It was an awesome car I loved it. Anyway I digress. I guess this was my summer of freedom and well thought that this freedom I had found was amazing. Freedom was something I didn't have with my mom. You see I was under her thumb. I had to be in the house by no later than 7 pm even on weekends. I was not allowed to hang out with boys, and I literally had scream and yell and cry just to go to the ball park with friends on a Saturday or Sunday. Ya my mom was pretty strict. If it hadn't been for dad I think I would have just died. My dad would fight for me all the time. Anyways as I was saying about my summer of freedom.
That summer I had so much fun. Now 2 wks is not a long time to a 16 year old to spend time with her favorite cousin. So between myself and my cousin and aunt and uncle (dads brother) we convinced my parents to let me stay for the rest of the summer. Mom was dead set against this. I can remember her standing in my Aunts kitchen saying" There is no way in hell she is staying down here to run the roads and stay out till all hours of the night" Well my Aunt and Uncle assured mom that that wouldn't happen as my cousins (Nancy had 3 brothers still at home) all had curfews. So mother buckled in and finally said yes. So mom and dad went home and I got to stay behind until the long weekend in September! I was one happy 16 yr old girl!!!!
Now my cousin and I were not bad, we were never brought home by the cops, we were just mischievous. Remember when I said that my aunt assured my mom that we wouldn't be out till all hours of the night cause the kids had curfews. Wellllllllllllllllll...there might have been one or maybe 2 nights or so that we kind of came in late. Now my aunt and uncle would go to bed but wouldn't really sleep until all the kids were in the house. I remember one night I think it might have been around 1 or 2 am and Nancy and I were coming and trying not to wake them up, but there was one spot in the kitchen floor that squeeked and that's all it took and my uncle hank yelled "you girls get to bed and get to sleep now!!!" . Uncle Hank has been gone now for almost 34 yrs now and I can still hear him say that to me I miss him so much! That summer was a summer of firsts for me. My first boyfriend, (thanks to my cousin), my first time for using a fake ID, first taste of Captain Morgan, my first drunk, and my first ever and worst hangover!!! It was the first time that I actually felt what it was like to have someone trust me and let me be a teenager. Oh believe me my cousin and I got in shit from her parents for the stunts we pulled but they forgave us and warned me especially that if I did something like that again uncle would put me on a plane back to Ottawa so fast my head would spin. But he never did but it was the threat that scared me. I actually didn't want to go home and had asked if i could stay with them and go to school in PEI but Mom and dad said no. I often wonder how my life would have turned out if I had stayed. But I think we all have those "what if" moments.
But all good things must come to an end and I was rounded up by my dads youngest brother and he drove me home to Ottawa. And I thought my freedom I had gained in PEI would follow me home but alas it did not so I was back under my moms thumb. Don't get me wrong I loved my mom and still do and miss her more and more everyday, but I didn't like her for quite a few years.
Well I guess this is all for now. As I have chores to do and in the back of my mind I can hear my mom saying with a smile on her face "Come on lazy bones you got chores to do"
So until next time folks!
No comments:
Post a Comment