My Aunt Maud was a beautiful woman and in the twenties she was a sought after model.
That’s her in the centre with Gert and Aggie her mates she seconded into the shoot.
Aunt Maud was a war widow. Her husband was killed in action on the western front.
At that time Maud had a small boy and her life went from the expectation of motherhood and family to one of desperation at how she might make ends meet.
Her husband’s death sapped her will and energy.
As a model however she attracted a lot of work.
She was away a lot and Bill was cared for by his grandparents.
In later life Bill would remember his mother as a most indifferent person.
‘She never seemed interested in mothering,’ he said.
How he managed to survive her and be the man has was, puzzled me.
Morpethroad 
When I first read this, I thought it was a true story! And then I realized you had written for the VisDare writing challenge. What a fabulous story, Summers! I absolutely loved it!
Thank you Linda, it is partly true. My Aunt did lose her husband in WWI with a small child born just before he died. But she was far from indifferent.
Oh you’re poor aunt. It’s hard to even imagine how tragic that must have been for her.
She was an old lady when i knew her but I think it would have been a pain beyond words. She died in the 1990’s and never remarried. That’s a long time single.
And never remarried. Oh how sad. There’s not very many people left now who went through that horrible time. And I never really hear about it anymore. How soon we forget!
You don’t hear about them because sadly they are all dead now. But it was a past time where people had no support as there exists today, so they got on with it so to speak. And yes we do forget easily.
So true. They did what was expected of them after the war and you never heard any complaints and you certainly never saw any begging with signs!! It seems like they were made a sterner stuff back then.
This was very clever, and gently explained why a mother was forced to change her whole approach to life, yet also highlighted how that affected her son. Life can be so challenging and is full of unintended consequences.
Thanks Freya i appreciate you reading and commenting on my work. Yes life is full of unintended consequences.
You’re welcome, of course. Life’s nothing if not unpredictable….
I am listening to the soulful sounds of Loreena as I read this and felt my stomach rise. This is so touching summer. I really enjoyed.
Thank you RM. It is pleasing to think my work hits a chord with you.
Summer you are welcome once again 🙂
Yes, this definitely read like a real story – you’ve done a great job.
Thanks Lyn, amazing what a few well placed words can do to create a sense of reality. Aunt Maud existed but she was never indifferent.