A pivotal milestone occurred today. My mum hasn’t reached out to me after I reached out to her ex-partner, to offer my support, and indirectly accuse my mother of being abusive.
I have heard nothing from her.
Today, I realised how weird that is. That’s not normal behaviour, to be part of something like that and say nothing to me. To be accused by your own son, with whom you’ve been on civilised terms for the better part of a decade, of abuse, and to say nothing: That’s not right at all. That’s not what people do.
When you’re on the inside, little things like this seem normal in isolation. But when you have the space and the safety to put them all together, eventually a complete picture begins to form. A new clarity is developed.
Manipulators are, for all their bravado, cowardly people. They dedicate their lives to hiding their absence of humanity, and when they are exposed, all they can do is attempt to protect it further. When that’s not an option, they have nothing to say.