RELATIVES
All the other kids in our neighbourhood had hordes of
relatives. Christmas, weddings, christenings and even funerals were raucous
affairs that often spilled into the street, sometimes ending in fisticuffs.
Once I asked Mum where our family was, but she yelled,
“We have no-one but ourselves,” and then hugged me. She sounded so sad that I
never asked again.
After her funeral I drank a large whiskey before I
tackled her bedroom. One drawer was crammed with photographs – her parents,
perhaps, uncles, aunties and cousins. My family.
...............................................................................................
Families are strange creatures - a tower of strength for some, a pain in the butt for others. Some people, like me, have such a ream of cousins that they can't keep track, others can count their family members on one hand. And there are always secrets, some small, some so enormous that they remain hidden - until after the funeral.
Thanks to Ted Strutz for this week's Friday Fictioneers photo prompt, and to Rochelle for hosting this bunch of diverse writers on her blog. https://rochellewisoff.com/
This is raw and powerful, Lizy
ReplyDeleteThanks Neil.
DeleteHow very true your story is, and especially true of the times in which we live, Lizy 🌹
ReplyDeleteThank you, though I hope we are gradually learning not to be so prejudiced.
DeleteOh! What a zing at the end. It raises so many questions in my mind. So very well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteGreat reveal at the end Liz, it says so much about what has come before. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThank you Iain!
DeleteDear Liz,
ReplyDeleteThere's a whole 'nuther chapter in that last line. Well done!
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle. You could be right.
DeleteOoooh. Clever.
ReplyDeleteHey, Patsy, nice to see you again! Thanks for the comment.
DeleteHow beautiful! So sad!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Help.
DeleteNot the nicest way discover the family you didn't know you had, and to realise why. A poignant piece indeed.
ReplyDeleteHere's my story
Thanks for commenting, Keith.
DeleteI liked your comment at the end most of all, Liz. So true. I do feel bad for the person because now that the mother is gone she is pretty much an orphan as there is no connection to any family.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jade, she is all alone now. Perhaps it's time to make her own family?
DeleteOh man, what a zinger at the end... and zinger in more ways than one. Well done, you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dale. It took me by surprise too, I hadn't planned the ending in advance!
DeleteDon't you love when that happens, though?
DeleteA good story, Liz. I had more relatives but we lost contact when the grandmothers died. Now there are my husband's family and I've helped my children keep in touch. There has to be effort on both sides. ---- Suzanne
ReplyDeleteThere does. My children have second cousins they've never met.
DeleteHow incredibly poignant!
ReplyDeleteWell told story! I was sure it was non fiction.
ReplyDeleteBrown like me---indeed a zinger.
Thank you for believing in my fiction!
Delete