Love & Freeedom

When I was around 16 my mother asked me if I'd like to meet Rob. My mother was a Guidance Counselor at the High School and Rob was the son of her colleague.

Rob had just returned from being an exchange student in Japan. Now you need to know that in the 1970s there was no such thing as sushi on every street corner. I knew nothing about Japan.

Rob regaled me with stories and then looked me up and down, observed my height and said: "Well, nothing will fit you there, but don't worry -- they'll build you something!"

I'm not sure what happened in our time together, but somehow he lit a fire in my heart and I was determined to be an exchange student too. It took me a year of persevering and two rounds of applying but I spent my final year of high school in Germany.

That experience helped me claim myself as a citizen of the world and I've  never stopped wanting to be out and about in it. It changed the trajectory of my life.

It took me another 50 years to realise both how well my mother understood me and to comprehend that in this simple question she was prepared to let me go. This act of love still touches my heart.

And Rob, if you're out there.... THANK YOU for the story that gave my life new meaning. ❤️

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This is one of the prompts from my 28 day Story Challenge LOVE STORIES. Join the LOVE STORIES team and receive a different prompt every day for 28 days.Find out more here.