The Power of Connection

CONCLUSION

At the beginning of this book I talked about my selfish rea­sons for wanting to share these stories and strategies around the communication lessons that I believe passionately can lead to a better life. Like Frank, I too was asked to make a choice between my parents at an age when most kids are enjoying their carefree primary school years.

I don’t remember the date but I certainly remember the experience. While I knew my parents weren’t happy in their marriage, I had no warning of the rupture that was about to tear our family unit apart permanently.

I was 11 years old, enjoying a typical day at school, when I looked up from my desk and saw a familiar face in the doorway of the classroom. It was Uncle Tony. He wasn’t really an uncle but a friend of Mum and Dad’s. We had been brought up to address all adults as ‘Mr’ or ‘Mrs’ if they were strangers or infrequent visitors, ‘uncle’ or ‘aunty’ if they were regular guests in our home. Uncle Tony was in the latter group. Walking into the room he handed my teacher a note.

‘Riki, do you know this man?’ asked the teacher.

‘Yes, Miss.’

‘Then you need to go with him now.’

Without much thought I packed my school things neatly in my desk and walked out with Uncle Tony.

‘Where are we going?’ I asked.

‘I’m taking you to your mum and dad’, he replied.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘They’ll explain everything when you see them.’

I sensed that the conversation made him uncomfortable. We drove in silence for what felt like an hour but ...