I spent Mother's Day weekend 2004...
...with a nubile girl that I'd met at a friend's party a week or two earlier. We'd had a great time at the party, and our flirting meant a follow-up night was on the cards. We went out on the Friday night and spent the whole evening talking, joking, flirting outrageously and drinking loads, before staggering back to her place.

Only problem was that I was meant to be going home that weekend as I hadn't seen my parents in a while, and Mother's Day is pretty much obligatory visitation time. Being young, horny and selfish, I chose instead to stay with this particularly gorgeous girl, and I had a fantastic (if slightly guilt-ridden) time. The rest of the night, morning, afternoon and evening was spent in her bed doing what came naturally, over and over again.

I finally left her bedroom on Mother's Day (Sunday) a whole day later, quite literally shagged out. While waiting for the Tube on that cold March morning, I decided to cut my losses by phoning home to say "Happy Mother's Day" but my mum wasn't in. My dad answered the phone and naturally he was annoyed about my no-show, but I reminded him --quite arrogantly-- that Mother's Day was a money-making scheme first and foremost, and it wouldn't matter if I came home the following weekend instead. He grumbled a bit, I felt like I'd vindicated my self-centred sexual triumph and I went back to my flat, planning to make it up with flowers etc...

I never got the chance. My mum died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure the following Friday evening, aged 58. I lost my only opportunity to make amends for missing that Mother's Day visit. I later realised that I had not spoken to her during the week either, which I probably justified at the time with "I'm too busy". My mum's death shocked my entire family and our neighbourhood, as she was the nucleus of everything we did. It also tore my dad apart, and even today he is a shadow of his former, confident self without my mum's support to structure his own life.

I'll take that guilt to my own grave, but at least it's taught me a lesson. These days, if I ever feel "too busy" to make time for someone else, I drop what I'm doing anyway. Life really is too short to live any other way.

You can thank both my mum and dad for the length and girth, because it's all in the genes. Just make sure you thank/blame your own parents while you still have time :-)
( chart cat has an itch, Tue 10 Oct 2006, 14:08, Reply)