“I never saw a pig until I met your father.” She used the line often. It always got a laugh.
Art by Christina Kretchmer
We all knew what she meant. She was born and raised a city girl. She married the son of a dairy farmer.
“The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse” is a famous fable created in 600 BC and attributed to the Greek slave Aesop.
It could be used to describe my parents.
She was the consummate city girl, born and raised in Philadelphia, where her family settled in 1800. Educated in urban Catholic schools, she was an avid equestrian, trained in British riding skills. This was the only horsepower she knew. Public transportation was standard, she never needed a car.
She was bright, energetic, bored with traditional schooling, dropping out after 10th grade to find work. She was a beautiful, rebellious teen, spoiled by a doting father and disciplined by a strict mother. She had an active social life, quite a few suitors, only one serious relationship; in her words, the one that got away.
She met my father through friends when she was 20 years old. He was a 22 year old WW II veteran, steelworker in a town 30 miles west of the city, son of eastern European immigrants.
He was tall, handsome, charming. He won her over. They eloped to Maryland against all advice. He moved her to the country, to a rental he shared with his mother and younger sister.
Less than 2 months later, she had a job she loved, and was pregnant with my oldest sister.
My aunt married and moved out. I came along 2 years later. Grandma tended to the children as my mother worked for “Ma Bell”. Their dual income allowed them to purchase their first and only home.
Four more children arrived. My mother was now at home full time. She still did not drive.
At first, she learned to adapt to country life. Now, she was trapped in it. I can only imagine.
We often took train trips into Philadelphia. If she truly missed the city life, she didn’t talk about it much, at least not out loud.
The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse – Read.gov
vanbytheriver 
All English books for kids from 3-4 grade in Russia contain the fairy tale “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”.
There were many adaptations. Here in the U.S., by Disney, known as the “The City Mouse and the Country Mouse.”
That theme plays through many lives I think. It did with my parents too. I’m intrigued by the idea that each of us is story-worthy as our choices unfold through the years. We are all so complex.
We are indeed complex, and every story seems to resonate with someone…we are not so very different after all. Thanks, Diana.☺
You’re a great storyteller – I feel like I know your mom a bit now. ❤
Diana xo
What a sweet comment, Diana, thank you. I seem to be revealing a little more of her all the time. That was the very way I came to know her trials and frustrations. I’m sad that she passed before I could share my bit of understanding. ☺
I’m sorry she passed before you could do that as well, but she knows Van, she knows… ❤
💕
There is adaptation in every relationship. Sometimes our spirits survive. Other times they don’t.
That’s for sure, Julie, I wish I could have seen her with more objectivity when I was growing up. I would have had more sympathy.
Poignant history and so well written~
Thanks so much, Cindy. The personal histories are the easiest…they almost write themselves. No stranger fiction than reality. ☺
Oh my god! I feel like I’ve peeked in your family’s window.
Peek away… ☺ There are few secrets left.
Wonderful story of your parents’ beginnings, Van. Well told, your way.
I remember my mother learning to drive after we moved to Long Island to Brooklyn when I was in the first grade. My father got our first car and had learned before her in the city to get ready for the occasion. My Uncle Chet, married to mom’s sister, Aunt Marion, and he were the first two drivers on either side. Aunt Marion and my mom were the next two. I wonder why your mom chose not to learn and stay more anchored to your country home.
That’s another whole issue, I’m afraid. My father took her out many times to attempt lessons. He claimed that she was “too nervous” in the process and he feared for her safety. She agreed, and stopped trying. Not sure about that one, Mark. It got easier as we all turned 16 and could drive her around. My dad walked to work, leaving the car at home. ☺
Family dynamics, Van, which we have covered. Sigh.
double sigh…. thanks, Mark.
Love how you write, Van. Glad your parents eloped and made you. No doubt the transition from city city to country mother was tough, but I’m glad she did it, for you are the result.
That’s the sweetest comment….ever. Thank you, Kitt, I’m not sure I can come up with the right response….walks away blushing….😳
Perfect response.
So cute , I can see you blushing Van ….p.s. I love how you wrote this especially the sentence , ” four more children ….she still did not drive .” …hugs , megxxx
It explained so much…that captivity. It also made sense that my dad insisted that we become good drivers at a young age. Thankfully. ☺ xoxox