Letting Go

I was a graduation party recently and felt old. Many among the guests were retirees. The parents of the graduate looked a mix of relieved and anxious. It felt like they need reassurance more than they needed congratulations. The road to this day for the kid in question had been more than usually bumpy. Some among us knew about those events that left these parents terrified. He was almost not going to make it and then suddenly, magically he turned a corner and here we were. Would this be a lasting peace and had this family been through the worst and it was smooth sailing from here might have been questions on our mind as we mingled, made small talk and celebrated the day. 

One of the relatives of the family - an aunt if I recall sat by herself in the far corner of the patio. She was choosing to carve out some space for herself so everyone left her alone. Every once in the while the kid would go and check in on her, they'd exchange a few words and he would be off talking to the other guests. At some point the parents retreated to the backyard with their neighbors away from us all. By the time we were leaving, the house had been taken over by outsiders and the hosts had receded to the periphery. It felt awkward to linger on. Returning home I wondered what about the afternoon had felt uncomfortable to these folks who had opened their home to us and left us alone. Was it their way of being hospitable or a way to escape the memories of the what they had been through the last few years.