G is for Greetings from Cape Cod: Patching up a fight. Seventh of 26 posts in the April 2024 Blogging From #AtoZChallenge. Theme: My Life: The Prequel (in Snapshots) adding my parents’ stories to the family history mix. Please join me on the journey.
We get to know our parents as adults, so if our folks get along well, it’s natural to assume they always did.
But that’s not necessarily the case, as I found out when I interviewed my parents Norm and Peg (Laurence ) Charboneau about their lives — including their dating years.
Turns out, there were ups and downs and breakups before they finally decided to become life partners!
Rocky times and reconciliation
According to Dad, who I interviewed first, “We had some rocky times. On again, off again to the point where I didn’t go to your mother’s graduation.”
Well, that was surprising news! Though on reflection, not entirely. My parents were both bright, strong willed and career oriented — and likely more so in their twenties. They were bound to have differences of opinion on this and that, including their life trajectory and who to share it with.
Naturally, when I interviewed Mom, I wanted to hear her side. “Your dad did something that really annoyed me — although now I can’t remember what it was — and I broke up with him,” she said. Wow, more surprising news!
A peace message from Cape Cod
Apparently, the breakup happened before the summer, because afterwards Mom went off to Cape Cod with her parents and her sister Rita for vacation.
While there, she apparently calmed down — and in a spirit of affection and forgiveness, she decided to send greetings to Dad. He collected matchbooks from all over — so what could be a more suitable peace offering?
“I sent him one of those long Cape Cod matchbooks,” Mom told me. “And, can you believe it? That’s how we got back together.”
They shared a big life goal
Turns out that, although Mom and Dad had their differences, they had a bigger life goal in common. Here’s how Dad described it to me.
“When I started dating your mother, we were at an event one night and a fellow who knew her tried to warn me off,” said Dad. “He told me, ‘You’d better watch out for that one. She wants to get married and have a family.’ “
“That just made me more interested,” Dad continued, “because that’s what I wanted, too.” And he must have been pleased when that long matchbook arrived, because the rest is history!
So who was this woman who could take bold action, but be reasonable enough to dial it back later? It’s time to learn more about my mom, Peg, starting with her childhood.
Up next, H is for Hollywood Ave. in Gloversville, N.Y.: My mom’s childhood home. Please stop back!
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