In Australia, as well as in South Africa, the Easter celebration is celebrated over four days, which means a long weekend for most people. In 1996, my parents were very excited to go on holiday to the UK. They left on the Thursday evening before Easter Friday. My sister and I would be staying alone for three weeks. We were both working by that time, but it was the longest time we would be left at home alone. My mother and I had been finding our way through some friction for the past few months. It was my first year of work and I had started as a graduate hire at a global IT company. I was struggling to settle in. And did not want to let my mother down, she was so proud of me and the degree and position I had got. I had bought her a pale blue sweater to take along on her holiday. She wore it on the evening they left. My boyfriend at the time was in a bad mood as the plan had been for him to take them to the airport. But plans changed! My sister had received a new car that week and wanted to go in her new car. So off we went to the airport. The five of us, my dad, mom, sister, boyfriend and myself. I could see boyfriend was upset. He had filled his car with gas and had gone out of his way to clean it and get it ready for the airport trip, which was now not happening. When we arrived at the airport we climbed out and said our farewells. One of the last words I spoke to my mother was, M is not happy because we didn’t go in his car. I can’t remember her response. We said our goodbyes and left. My mother had a heart attack while they were away, and I never saw her again. I received a birthday card and postcard from her a few days before she passed. And every Easter Thursday I remember my parents going on holiday.

In a strange twist of fate, the last time I saw my mother-in-law was at the airport too. It was the airport in Sydney, she joined us for our first Christmas here. But this was before the days of iPhones and I have no photos of her time here! Only memories.