The Best Revenge Really Is Living Well

My Twist On A Prompt

Me, feeling pretty good: Photo courtesy of the author

As I was browsing Medium, reading stories by my favourite writers and checking out some newbies, I found a prompt by my girl, Ravyne Hawke. It was a quote and it got me thinking about my mother. And also about my life.

Mom and me: Photo Courtesy of the author

We had a very complicated relationship. She pretty much hated me for the first 18 years of my life. I was an unwelcome surprise when she was 43. And, I have to say, the feeling was mutual.

We didn’t get each other. She was a Depression-era kid. Seen, not heard, obedient, unquestioning. So was her son, my brother, 15 years my senior. Born in 1956, he was her perfect child. He was quiet, unassuming, and obedient.

My dad and my brother, sometime around 1958/59: Photo courtesy of the author

I was not. I was born in 1971. I was an entirely different generation. I was bright and willful and loud. She wasn’t ready for me.

But despite all the acrimony, she was one smart cookie! I learned a lot from her. And two of the biggest lessons I learned were: