I begged, but my mum wouldnt budge. She quickly shoved my things into a rucksack, handed me some pounds, and pushed me out the door. My family was like any othermy mum, dad, me, and my granddad Arthur. My parents got on fine for years, but then something changed. Mum stopped taking care of herself, and Dad found himself another woman.
Dads new partner was much younger and ended up pregnant with his child. Mum couldnt forgive the betrayal, so Dad left to be with her. Both my parents started new lives but, in those lives, there was no room for me.
When I finished Year 9, Mum brought home a man a lot younger than her. I protested, but it made no difference. Thats when I fell in with a bad crowdstarted drinking, cut my hair really short and dyed it bright pink. Mum wasnt bothered by any of itshe seemed to forget I even existedso I carried on acting out. After my first year at college, during another row, Mum threw me out for good.
She looked me square in the eye and said, Listen: youre a grown young woman now, and I, just like your father, deserve a bit of happiness. So pack your things and go live with your dad!
I had no choice but to beg her to let me stay, but she ignored my pleas and kept stuffing my things into my bag, before finally throwing me onto the street. When I knocked on Dads door, he looked awkward and told me, You have to understand, this flat belongs to my wife, and she wont want you living here. You need to go back to your mum and sort things out with her. And with that, he closed the door in my face.
I didnt know what to do, so I scraped together enough for a train ticket. A lot happened after that. I ended up in a little town up north, enrolled at a college, and when I finished, I got a job as a chef.
In time, I met a bloke, fell in love, and we got married. Eventually, we bought our own flat together. My husband always asked me to forgive my parents. Hed been raised in a childrens home himself, never knowing a mothers love, so he understood exactly what it meant to be left on your own.
Still, I kept putting off making amends with my parents. It went on for ages, until he finally said to me, Youre lucky, you knowyou have a mum and dad. But because of your pride, youre choosing to walk the path of an orphan. You cant do that. Were all only human, and anyone can make a mess of things. You need to face your parents and make things right.
So we went to my hometown together. When we knocked on the door of my old house, my parents answered, looking older than I remembered. As soon as Mum saw me, she fell to her knees and begged me for forgiveness. In that moment, I realised Id forgiven them long agoI just never admitted it to myself.
My husband and I went inside. I introduced him to Mum and Dad, and told them they were going to be grandparents. My parents told me that, after I disappeared, searching for me brought them back together as a family.
My dads second wife saw how much he missed Mum, and eventually she let him go. Not long after, she married the very man shed been seeing behind my dads back. My dad had believed the baby was his and thats why he left us, but it turned out even she had no idea myself who the father was.
After their divorce, she had a paternity test done and Dad found out he wasnt the father at all. Now, my parents are happy, Im happy, and everything is exactly as I dreamed it would be when I was a teenagerMum and Dad living under the same roof again.
