ABSTRACT
Using an earthquake metaphor, this piece examines the little events and the big event that led to the estrangement of a daughter from her mother. Emotional recall and self-introspection combine to paint a picture of the family, the behavior of the author’s mother, and the author’s reactions during a 40-year period prior to August 30, 2016. Readers will witness the anger, tears, frustration, and cover-up experienced through the author’s and her family’s actions. Memories, such as a brick through a window, calling the local police because of abuse, threatening to disown by attending a wedding, and the promise of choosing a husband over one’s parents, fill the pages capturing the shifting tectonic plates causing the release of anger traveling the family resulting in another episode. The chapter concludes with a description of August 30, 2016, the exchange of emails and text messages, and ultimately what turned out to be the last phone call.
