I am going to begin by saying, there has never been anyone that loved their
parents more than me. I was an only child born on a jointly controlled air base
just outside of Ramstein Airport by the US and the UK. Just as the base was, dad
was from the US and mum was from, just outside Sherwood UK. They met while
he was in the service, he flew F4-Phantoms during the Vietnam War, and mum
was a medical doctor there working for the British government. So, I am a child
of two nations, I have been to the UK many times but live in the States
.
There are things that just don't go together, sodium metal and water,
ammonia and bleach, well after being married for 18 years, and when I came
along, add my mum and dad to that list. My first cogent memory I can recall was
of her throwing a glass catsup bottle at him across the room. It was a good shot
but he had good reflexes and got out of the way. As they parted, I ended up with
my dad and we moved to the States once he retired from the USAF. I had a half
sister and an adopted brother, they went with mum. She would move to the
States once they were both in college to be close to me but that was several
years later.
They were both very good people unless in each other's presence when that
occurred a fight was imminent. My dad worked for an organization in the States
called TVA, he was a corporate pilot for them, then later moved to engineering.
They were both so caught up in their lives, as long as I did well in school, I was
kind of like in the background. Dad moved us into a new house into what
seemed like a nice area but it was not. I had to deal with some bad people over
several years, and neither of them noticed.
They have both passed now, dad 12 years ago, and mum about two years ago.
As much as I loved them, they were kind of like a misconfigured firewall, and
bad people found the open ports. I loved them so but am somewhat angry at
how they could have missed such a thing. I never had a bedtime, we were in a
large community out in the styx so I could just come and go as I pleased. Dad
was away a great deal for work, and he remarried a woman that was an RN. She
was a good lady, but she had already raised four boys so my life was like an
assembly line.
This anger I hold makes me feel ashamed, all I had to do was say something. I
like so many are apt to do said nothing. It was a period of silent suffering, which
still haunts me. I don't want to be angry at them, if it was within my power I
would crack this planet in half for just ten more minutes with either of them. I
need them now more than ever, yet they are gone. I carry that silent anger
around that I don't want to feel. I was always provided well for materially, I have
no worries for money now from what they left. I don't really care about money, or
fancy cars any of that kind of junk. It is transitory and you can't take it with you
and makes a lot of people do bad things.
I guess I just wish they had paid more attention and remember I was part of
their life and not let the rest of theirs consume them. I should have been more
important than any job, or thier petty fighting, now it is too late.