I'll never forget the way she said, "It's so good to be back in Richmond."
My mother-in-law (Snook) and father-in-law (George) went on a vacation to visit relatives out in the Seattle area. George and Snook are from Indiana and have lived in Richmond for most of their lives. Their daughter is also from here and I moved here in 2011, not long after I had met her. I'm originally from Dayton, Ohio, which is not really a big town, but it's about six times the size of Richmond in regard to its population. Sometimes I wish I still lived in Dayton, but I have come to the conclusion that I will probably live the rest of my days in Richmond. More on that in a bit.
George and Snook decided they wanted to make a long vacation out of it and drive out to the west coast and back. Along the way they would stop to see the sights. They saw Mount Rushmore and went through Yellowstone on the way out. They arrived in Seattle to visit one of Snook's sisters when another one of her sisters back here in Richmond became seriously ill. I got a call from Snook yesterday and she was sobbing almost uncontrollably. She said that she was going to fly home and asked if Jen and I could pick her up at the airport. She was clearly upset about her sister, but there was more to it. She was having a hard time being away from the comfort of her home.
Snook's sick sister is going to be okay, but she will have to have a pacemaker implanted on Monday. They've got her stabilized on an external machine right now.
When my wife and I got to the airport to pick up Snook, she came off the plane with only her purse. She didn't even have a carry-on bag. She left everything with George who is going to drive back home by himself. She flew into Dayton and we stopped and got dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the area. Then it was on to Richmond.
As we rolled into town, Snook said in the voice of a mother welcoming home a child she had thought she might never see again, "It's so good to be back in Richmond." She had been gone for just over a week. I will never forget the way she said it. It also made me completely understand the implications for me and my wife. My wife is a lot like her mom.
I've been kicking around the idea of relocating to find work. I just graduated from college in December. I sometimes run across opportunities in my field of study that require relocation after training. I have asked my wife how she felt about that, and she said it would be okay if the job paid well enough. I had my doubts, though. She wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it and I know she has strong ties to Richmond. Now I know for sure, and it should have been clear to me from the beginning. We are not leaving this town.
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Terrific story, Tobin. It made me remember my move, halfway across the country. I moved for career reasons--I landed a job in the northeast, and my company found me a house and paid all my moving expenses. It was a tough adjustment. I learned there is nothing like "home." That all came back when you wrote, "I will never forget the way she said it."
I understand your concerns about your wife and distancing her from her family. You are a gem to consider her situation so seriously. It sounds like it would be a very tough adjustment for Snook to have her daughter move.
Now you know your parameters: you have to follow your passion, but make it happen in the Richmond area.
Cher