Sometimes an event occurs, a single event, and your life is changed forever. The funny thing is that you don’t always have a clue when it happens. It doesn’t have to be something inherently huge, although sometimes it is, and it doesn’t always appear to have monumental impact at the time, although sometimes it does. It just happens. And your world changes. Completely.
An event like this occurred to me on February 16, 2003, when I walked in on my sixteen-year old daughter making herself throw up.
It was a night like most others: trying to fit the busy lives of three girls and two parents into one schedule while making sure there was a little family time thrown in for good measure. Sixteen-year old Taryn, our oldest, was cheering at a basketball game. With a little maneuvering, the rest of us, Taryn’s almost fourteen-year old sister, Taylor, her nine-year old sister, Halli, and her dad and I were all able to attend the game.
Afterward, we decided to go for dinner; Taryn chose the spot. She picked International House of Pancakes. Although we never ate there, we knew she and her friends frequented it, so we soon found ourselves enjoying platefuls of ligonberry, chocolate chip, potato, and other assorted pancakes.
Taryn cleaned her plate and then helped Halli with hers. I remember thinking, that’s a switch, since Taryn was usually more about small portions, salads, and healthy eating, like so many body-conscious teenage girls were.
Taryn announced her departure, since she’d driven her own car to and from the game, and Taylor jumped up, declaring, “I’ll ride with Taryn!” Later, I would understand Taryn’s irritation and protest, but at that moment, we just cajoled her into taking her sister with her.
The rest of us headed home, just a few minutes after Taryn and Taylor. As I opened the garage door, I heard gagging sounds from the bathroom just inside. I walked the few steps to the closed door in slow motion. Although I knew what I was hearing, my brain couldn’t reconcile the meaning immediately. Who was it? Was she sick? Why the muffled gagging?
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