“Dont Call Me Again! Why waste time on something you dont even care about? Its been ages since I realised neither you nor your kids give a toss whether your grans alive or kicking!
Finishing university coincided with two big momentsmy wedding and landing my first proper job. I started as a manager at a decent firm, and a few years later, I went on maternity leave and had a gorgeous daughterEmily. Emily grew up clever as a whip, so my husband and I spared no expense sending her to a top-notch university. After graduation, my husband pulled a few strings and got her a plum job.
A year later, she introduced us to her fiancé, and before we knew it, she was married with twins.
My granddaughters were eight when their grandadmy husbandpassed. It hit us all hard. Emily understood how rough it was for me, so shed ring every evening after work for a proper chinwag, and Id fill her in on my day.
But then she got busy. Whenever I rang, shed fob me off with excusesalways hoovering or dashing out the door. One day, Id had enough. When she called, I snapped, If you havent got time for your own mother, dont bother ringing at all! Whats the point if youre just multitasking me?
She wriggled out of it, though, and I apologised for being sharp. After that, she called a bit moreuntil it slipped back to once a week.
Honestly, it stung. I was so upset I couldnt eat or sleep.
The final straw? She didnt ring for a whole weekwouldnt even pick up when I called. So when she finally did, I let her have it: Dont call me again! Why waste time pretending to care? Ive known for years neither you nor the girls give two hoots if Im alive! You just want my shepherds pies and birthday chequesthats it!
Emily blew up, called me selfish, and hung up. Her words hit me like a sack of bricksmy heart raced, everything went black, and next thing I knew, I was in hospital.
The nurse listened to my tale, but when I got to the end, she shook her head and said, You older lot forgetweve got jobs, kids, houses, lives. Fitting in a proper natter isnt easy. You should be chuffed they remember you between the school run and Tesco trips. My advice? Find a hobby. Keep busy. Then you wont notice the gaps between calls.
And shes right. When youre doing something you love, you stop counting the days till the phone rings.”
