The proper care and feeding of elephants, Part 4
image courtesy of photobucket.com
Family Reunion
It’s Sunday afternoon and the family has gathered for a very special occasion.
The boys and their families flew in from Colorado and Tennessee. The girls married and settled closer to home, neither one more than an hour’s drive from their childhood home.
The big occasion? It’s Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary. The house is small, so John, Kevin and their families chose to stay at a nearby hotel in town. Now gathered in the tiny family room, the brothers and sisters wonder aloud how they ever managed to all fit in this house, let alone grow up here.
While their parents are in the back yard playing with the grandkids–nine in all–John, Kevin, Janet and Kara catch up on each other’s lives. The brothers each left home after high school graduation. John set off for college on a football scholarship and Kevin headed for Fort Bragg and a career in the military. They talk about their kids; about how much has changed and how much has remained unchanged.
What they don’t talk about is why Janet’s husband has spent most of the afternoon taking private calls on his cell phone out of earshot of his wife, or the fact that no amount of make-up can cover the purple, swollen skin under Kara’s right eye.
The elephants in the room loom as large as Kara’s husband’s absence from this auspicious occasion.
But the biggest elephant of all–the one each sibling recognizes but none want to admit to themselves, let alone each other, is the old saying that in this case rings heartbreakingly true:
Both Janet and Kara married men just like their Daddy.
And the elephants feed and grow…
If you missed the first three installments of this series, you can find them here:
The proper care and feeding of elephants, Part 1: An Introduction and Explanation
The proper care and feeding of elephants, Part 2: Unspoken
The proper care and feeding of elephants, Part 3: Anniversary Gifts
I am at a loss for words. My heart broke for this one — and in the end, homeless shelters will continue to proliferate our landscape because of elephants like these.
that’s the sad truth.
This is very powerful Kat.
Thank you.
Louise´s last [type] ..My contradictions
Great post, Kathy. The proliferation of these “elephants” is an epidemic. Too often the rooms they’re in are silent.
Maureen´s last [type] ..Monday Muse on Reading Kingdom Come
Hmmm. I like the ones with the happy endings. This is heartbreaking because it’s too true to life. On the other side of that coin could be the divorced ones who keep searching in vain for the “one” like their parent. And what do my daughters see in me? Will I be the man before God that helps them find their strength in Him first and a husband second?
Jeez Louise, this was an emotional roller coaster, I guess thanks should be in order…
Thanks
floyd´s last [type] ..A REAL COWBOY
The reason they don’t talk about it is because voicing it might result in the follow-up question of What are we going to do about it? And that’s a question we are all avoiding.
karenzach´s last [type] ..Trash-talking teachers
That was very sad. I always imagined that sibling help each other out. (Only child here…) I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to be in that situation with a husband, and have siblings who are supposed to love me not extend a hand. I’m not sure which is more heartbreaking.
Helen´s last [type] ..Beginning of Summer Twitter Ho Down Post
It is sad, Helen. But sometimes family members do try to step in and help. Ultimately, if the woman chooses to stay in an abusive relationship, there’s not much you can do except assure her she has a place to go if she ever does decide to leave. That and pray for all involved.
That’s true. My dad had a relative whose wife was in that situation. (Yes. You read that right.) My parents loved her and offered her and her son our spare room. She declined. Finally my dad gave up and said “Look, you know where we live and you know our number” and stopped hanging around them after the man threw a glass at her that almost hit me. I’ll never forget the look on Daddy’s face when he asked me “Why didn’t you duck?” (My answer was that I was surprised because I didn’t think glasses could drop that far… )
I think what bothered me in the story is that the women’s family didn’t even try….
Helen´s last [type] ..Beginning of Summer Twitter Ho Down Post
It took me 4 parts, but I’m starting to get this now. I went back and read the others this evening. My brain kicked in when I read them one after another. Ugh. Elephants. They’re mighty hard to kill. And probably even harder to wallpaper.
Good ol’ Mary Chapin Carpenter – she could really sing a story, no? I always loved “Family Hands.” It reminds me of the safety for which we all yearn.
On a different note, sometimes it’s a *good* thing to marry someone like your daddy.
Candy´s last [type] ..Functional Foodie Friday- Steamed Baby Bok Choy
After all those years, it seems strange that the adult children needed to catch up on each others lives. Apparently there was little or no contact before this anniversary. A man just like DAD, wow, and the mom stayed with him 50 years. Secrets are difficult to admit and to expose to others outside the family, but those sisters need to get together. Great Story Kat, made us all think!
Hazel Moon´s last [type] ..Translate Please
Kathy, I love this series. It makes me sad, but you’re doing something entirely different from what you usually write, and it’s brilliant. Great job!
Jake´s last [type] ..Tattoos