You know, its funny how Gran was right all along.
It took ages for Emily to finally make up her mind. After her beloved Grans funeral, something just clicked. She grabbed her phone, looked up the train times, and booked a ticket back to her hometown. She needed to face the past, head-on, and make peace with it once and for all.
The train raced through endless fields and woods, the familiar landscapes of her childhood blurring past the window. Emily stared out, lost in thought. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to forgive her mum. Gran had always said forgiveness was the only way to lighten the load of old grudges and move forward.
Her heart pounded as the train pulled into the tiny station of her hometown. Her steps were hesitant, like her legs were refusing to cooperate. She walked slowly, mechanically, stopping every few paces just to catch her breath.
And then there it wasthe little wooden cottage where shed once lived, where her mum had later died. The place looked abandoned, windows covered in newspaper, shutters creaking in the wind. Emilys chest tightened as memories rushed backhappy moments with her dad and brothers. Those were the only threads still tying her to this place. The front door had a huge padlock on it, like one tug on the handle would make the whole thing collapse. She didnt test it. Instead, she sat on the rickety porch for hours, thinking everything over. Then, suddenly, she stood up and walked straight back to the station. Did she feel lighter? She did. Like her soul had finally let go of all that old bitterness.
Ten years ago, Emily had been sat at her desk, eyes glued to her laptop screen, her mind miles awayback in a childhood that now felt foreign and painful. Her fingers absently fiddled with a biro left over from school.
Dad was gone forever, leaving behind three kids and a wife drowning in her own grief. Emily remembered it too clearlythe stale smell of cheap booze, Mums never-ending tears, her older brothers constant whinging. And her, just a little five-year-old girl clinging to Grans knees, feeling completely lost. Dads hands would never ruffle her hair again, never sing her lullabies or read bedtime stories.
*Why then?* shed often wondered. Why did life take him when theyd needed him most?
And now, years later, came the newsMum had died.
“Are you even going to the funeral?” Grans voice was sharp, angry. She stood there, hands on hips, glaring at Emily like shed let her down.
Emily looked up from her screen, her gaze icy.
“Why would I go? I hated her! That womanthe drink turned her into a monster who couldnt care less about her own daughter!”
“She was still your mother!” Gran snapped. “Even if things were bad, you show respect!”
“Respect? For what?” Emily shot back, frustration boiling over. “After Dad died, she couldnt even be bothered to look after us properly! You and Auntie Rose did everything. Mum chose the bottle over us!”
“But still” Gran sighed, searching for the right words. “Maybe she was suffering. Grief broke her.”
“Suffering?” Emily let out a bitter laugh. “Gran, theres suffering, and then theres giving up. You grieve, you cry, you keep goinglike a normal person. Or you drown in it so deep you forget everyone else. She chose that. We were just an excuse for another glass of wine.”
The memories stung. Years of distance, indifference, helpless rage. Mum hadnt cared about her kids lives, their wins or losses. The pain mixed with hate was still fresh.
Dad had always smoothed things over, but without him, life became unbearable. His little sister, Auntie Rose, stepped in and took the kids to live with her. That was the start of a new chaptera new town, new faces.
But thoughts of Mum haunted Emily, bringing guilt and shame. How could she feel so much anger toward her own mother? Didnt mothers love their kids no matter what?
Then reality would crash backthe times shed felt unwanted, ignored. The coldness had left wounds that never healed.
Finally, Gran came closer, resting a hand on her shoulder.
“I get it, love, I do. But sometimes, saying goodbye helps. Maybe going back would give you a chance to forgive her. To let it all go.”
“No,” Emily said sharply. “Im not going. Dont ask me again.”
Now Gran was gone too.
Emily came back from her hometown with a clearer head. Childhood memories flickered to life again, filling the void Dads death had left. She wanted to leave the bitterness behind, shed the old hurts, and start fresh.
Turns out Gran was right. Forgiving wasnt about themit was about freeing yourself from the weight of the past. Moving forward without looking back. Emily knew thered be challenges ahead, but now she was ready to face them, open to whatever came next.
That trip changed everything. It showed her how important it was to let go. From now on, shed live freely, holding onto the good memoriesthe love, the happinessand leaving the rest behind.
