A New Life

Alison Vincent

After about eight years of my mother’s searching to replace the love once received from my father and my hopes of my parents getting back together, she fell in love with someone new, shattering all my hopes. Assuming this new love wanted to replace my father, I put up an emotional wall. Eventually, this wall crumbled down when I realized that my parents were happier apart than when they were together. Even though my mother and father no longer had a relationship, the one between my mother and me matured drastically. This occurred after I finally accepted that she, too, needed love, a love that her children alone could not give her.

After my parents divorced, my mother became lonely. Finally, she decided to start dating. My mother had never really dated before my parents got married, so it seemed rough at first. For the first time, my mother relied on me for approval. I took on the parental role and, therefore, terminated any unapproved relationships, since her date could end up as my new father. I finally decided to introduce her to one of my friend’s fathers of whom I did approve. I had no intention of them getting married. I just wanted her to date someone who would treat her right and I knew he would.

As time passed, they began to see more and more of each other and I noticed a drastic change in my mother’s attitude. She began acting like a teenager. She even got that giggle that girls get when they get a crush. I felt positively overjoyed at seeing my mother like this.

About two months after they began dating, she came home late one night and said she had a surprise for us. My sister and I continued to play our Nintendo game not thinking anything of the surprise she had mentioned. However, our game of computerized Monopoly came to a sudden end. I could not believe what I was hearing. After only two months of dating, my mother and Mike started talking about marriage. My mind went blank and I could not even get out congratulations. Apparently assuming I disapproved, my mother stormed out of the room, angered and hurt. She avoided me the next day, unsure of what to say to me.

The following day after school I remained in my room. My mother brought Mike over to talk with me. I could not even look at him while he spoke. Thousands of emotions ran through my head as I sat listening to his words. He assured me he had no intention of taking my father’s place because no man could ever do that. He also informed me that he truly loved my mother and would never hurt her. I had never before seen a man exhibit so much emotion. After speaking and getting only silence from me, he stood to exit the room. When he reached the door, he turned to look at me. For the first time that night, my eyes met his and I then discovered this man had been speaking the truth and the tears falling down his face proved it.

I realized after this that I acted selfishly. I thought only of myself and not of the needs of my mother. They had never crossed my mind up to this point. I felt like crawling in a hole and never coming out. How could I ever face my mother again? I felt as though I had disappointed her. She stood by me through out my whole life and the one time she needed me to support her, I did not. Later on that night, I sneaked into my mother’s room and lay down beside her. I began to apologize for carrying on so foolishly. We cried in each other’s arms that night and promised never to hurt each other again.

Six months later, I saw my mother walk past me wearing the most exquisite wedding dress I had ever seen. Sequence and lace covered the white dress, making her look like an angel from above the heavens. She looked absolutely astonishing. I got to witness something most children do not. I saw my mother on the happiest day of her life and I would not have traded that for anything.

Even though I at one time wished my parents would get back together, at that moment I would not have changed a thing. After seeing my mother search to replace the love once received from my father, I thought she deserved all the happiness she could find. As for my hopes of my parents getting back together, that soon changed. I realized my mother just wanted to move on with her life and I needed to do the same. My mother taught me that somewhere out there true love and happiness does exist, you just have to keep your eyes open and your walls down.