a continuation......

OK! OK! I'll add another entry for those that are requesting more! more! lol

I hid my packed suitcases in the back of my closet and decided tomorrow would be a better day to tell my Mother of my new plans. This was not going to be easy for her, I was the baby in the family and the first one to leave the nest, not only was I moving out, I was moving 1000 miles away. She is also a product of the 1940s and 1950s and was against couples living together and not being married. I found that kind of strange since she also lived in the 1960s, the era of free love, but my mother was married at 19, had her first child at 21 and gave birth 2 more times by the age of 24. So in the 1960s she was too busy with her children, her overseas husband (Military) and trying to make ends meet to be a part of the free love era.  But I'm sure she didn't want me married at 18 either.

I decided to tell my Mother over breakfast in a public place, it's not because I thought she would cause a scene, that's not my Mother's style, but for some strange reason that sounded a much more mature way for me to break the news to her. She already knew I had something to discuss with her, but I don't think she was prepared what I was about to tell her, even though she knew she was dealing with the unpredictable child out of her brood.

I could tell by the look on her face that she was no where near ready to give up her baby, but she also knew me better than I knew myself. These were her exact words," This is not something I want you to do, you are only 18 and New York is very far away. I trust Danny completely with your care, I know that if I tell you no, you will go anyway and you'll go away angry, that's not how I want you to leave. I just want you to know that I love you and you can always come back home if you need to." I said," I love you too Mom and thank you!"

I can't remember my brother and sisters' reaction to my moving out, I'm sure they were happy to get rid of their mouthy little sister. My Mother drove me to the air port the next morning, I didn't even think about how much this must have been hurting her, I was 18 and it never even crossed my mind. Now that I'm a parent of four, I can't even imagine watching one of my children board a plane to start a life that far away from me at only 18.

I flew into Laguardia Air Port and New York Citywas everything I thought it to be. I remember circling the Statue of Liberty, being face to face with her was amazing! Danny was there to meet my plane, and hugged the oxygen right out of my lungs! Oh how very grown up I felt that day. His family's house was about and hour and half ride upstate and it was then that I started to panic, I never thought about what his family thought of this new arrangement. Were they going to like me? Were they going to approve of me? I was the first serious girlfriend Danny brought home since moving out on his own a few years earlier.

His parents had split up but not divorced, his Father lived in the family house with his 2 younger brothers, his Mother had her own place a few towns over, his older sister was already married and lived a few towns over in another direction with her husband. Where was I going to fit in with this family? What would they think about having a house guest for the holidays who was a total stranger? Not everybody was happy to meet me.......lol

Yup! You guessed it...... continued tomorrow...........lol