Grandma was right, after all.
It took Anna years to finally make up her mind. After her beloved grandmothers funeral, something shifted inside her. She pulled out her phone, looked up the train schedule, and booked a ticket back to her hometown. Time to face the past head-on and settle things once and for all.
The train rattled past endless fields and woods, landscapes blurred by speed but achingly familiar. Anna stared out the window, lost in thought. Maybe it *was* worth trying to forgive her mother. After all, as Gran used to say, forgiveness lifts the weight off your shoulders and lets you move forward.
Her heart pounded as the train slowed into the tiny station of her childhood. Her steps falteredher legs seemed reluctant to obey. She walked slowly, mechanically, pausing every few paces just to breathe.
Then there it was: the little wooden cottage where shed once lived, where her mother had later died. The place looked derelictwindows papered over, shutters creaking in the wind. A lump rose in Annas throat as memories of happier times with Dad and her brothers rushed back. Those were the only threads still tying her to this place. A huge padlock hung on the door, rusted and stubborn. One tug, and the whole thing might crumble. But she didnt try. Instead, she sat on the rickety porch for two solid hours, turning things over in her mind. Then, abruptly, she stood up and walked back to the station. Did she feel lighter? Absolutely. The bitterness had loosened its grip.
Ten years earlier, Anna had been hunched over her computer, her mind miles awaytrapped in childhood memories that had long since turned sour. Her fingers fiddled absently with an old school pen, a relic from simpler days.
Dad had left them forever, abandoning three kids and a wife who drowned in her own grief. Anna remembered it all too clearlythe stale reek of cheap booze, Mums endless tears, her older brothers constant whining, and herself, a lost little girl of five, clinging to Grans knees. No more bedtime stories, no more lullabies. “Why *then*?” shed often wondered later. Why did fate take him when they needed him most?
And now, years on, came the news: Mum was dead.
“Are you even going to the funeral?” Grans voice was sharp, her hands planted on her hips as she glared at Anna with disapproval.
Anna looked up from her screen, her gaze icy. “Why would I? I *hated* her. Alcohol turned her into a monster who couldnt care less about her own daughter!”
“She was your *mother*,” Gran snapped. “Even if things were bad, you show respect!”
“Respect?” Anna scoffed. “When Dad died, she couldnt even take care of us! You and Auntie Liz did everything. Mum chose the bottle over us!”
Gran sighed, struggling for words. “Maybe she was suffering. Grief broke her.”
“Suffering?” Anna gave a bitter laugh. “People grieve differently, Gran. Some keep living, raising their kids. Others drown in it. Mum picked drowning. We were just excuses for another drink.”
The old anger flared, sharp as ever. Years of neglect, indifference, furyMum hadnt cared about her childrens lives, their wins or losses. The pain twisted inside Anna, tangled with hatred.
Dad had always smoothed things over, but without him, life became unbearable. Auntie Liz had stepped in, whisking them all away to her place in another town. A fresh start.
Yet thoughts of Mum haunted Anna, bringing shame and guilt. How could she feel so much anger toward her own mother? Shouldnt a mothers love be unconditional?
But reality always slapped her backthe coldness, the abandonment, wounds that never healed.
Finally, Gran rested a hand on her shoulder. “I get it, love, I do. But sometimes saying goodbye helps. Maybe going back would let you forgive her. Or at least try.”
“No,” Anna said flatly. “Im not going. Dont ask me again.”
Now Gran was gone too.
Back from her trip, Anna turned everything over in her mind. Childhood memories flickered to life, filling the void Dad had left. She wanted to leave the bitterness behind, shed the past, and start fresh.
Gran had been right all along. Forgiving wasnt about the other personit was about freeing *yourself*. Letting go of the weight so you could move forward without looking back. Anna knew challenges lay ahead, but now she was ready to face themopen to new chances, new changes.
That trip had been a turning point. Now she could live freely, holding onto the good memoriesthe love, the lightand leaving the rest behind.
