Loveless Locket From Mother

When I was a young adult I wanted very much to have a normal, loving family, moving forward in life seemed to depend upon it. Toward that end I demanded that my mother behave as a mother to me, that she be loving and kind and pleased with me. She sneered at most of my protestations against her unkindnesses and she effortlessly ignored my demands that she change her behavior, so I was surprised when she agreed to give me a piece of jewelry that I could cherish as "given to me by my mother." She had never given me any sort of jewelry before, not so much as a ribbon or hair clasp, not even a plastic pop bead. So now when she told me that she would buy me a locket: which is of course "a small ornamental case, typically made of gold or silver, worn around a person's neck on a chain and used to hold things of sentimental value, such as a photograph or lock of hair.", I waited warily, wanting to be hopeful.

But somewhere my mother found a locket that had no hinges, it would not open, there was no way to keep any memento in it. She was very amused at my consternation. So a few years later when my sister stole it from me, I let her take it.

Caption: Loveless Locket From Mother

by Annmarie Throckmorton 2019