The Wickman thing

I just met a "brandnew" cousin, 54 years old. Just one year older than me. I have met her once before, in the sixties, when I was 6-7 years old. I remember that just vaguely. The Wickman family has many relatives "over there". In fact half the family? Some went long ago, and their children and grand children is now looking back, trying to find their roots. Monica too had her daughter with her. She was in the same age as my son.

Mostly Monica has just been a name on a paper, just as all the other cousins I have "over there". Monica. I remember I have heard my mam and dad speak of her and her three brothers too. She has lost contact with one of her brothers, the other ones she hardly ever meet.


Monica lived her childhood i Vesterås in Sweden. Her daddy was my uncle. I don't remember him at all, although I must have met him as a child. Her daddy was a person who moved a lot. He didn't think long for a decision, he just did it. He was quite stubborn too. (Guess from where I have got that one?) Nobody could tell him what to do. Monica told stories about my relatives and made them more living to me. And so I got to learn something about myself too, perhaps not so good things, but things I have wondered about. Why do I react at things that happens in the way I do? My ability to make fast decisions sometimes. You may ponder long, then something happens, and suddenly you just know. And you have to follow your idea.

Her daddy was fast to make decisions. She told when she was thirteen and her brother was 9, her dad took them from home to Whiterocks in British Columbia, quite a bit, in fact as almost half the Finland, and he liked the place, so he decided that they should live there. He rented a room and left Monica and her brother there alone. He himself went home packing. He took his wife and two other sons with him to Whiterocks. Fortunately they also was pleased with their new homes. Monica said "But what, if he had an accident on his way home? Nobody else knew where we were". That was Gustav, my uncle. I know it too well. Quess how many stories my parents have told me about my childhood and my ability to always make stupid things. It was my speciality. Monica said it was "the Wickman thing. All Wickmen do stupid things, but they are also very brave and do hard work. But so hopelessly stubborn!"

But it came to a divorce after a few years for my uncle.

Her daddy never told where he should go, or how long he would stay. Monica told me that for some reasons:-) she was quite the same. There were many stories of that kind that evening. Of course without reason:-) They never made such things it you asked them. No, no, no. Never.

And I am also like that. Quess why?
Only afterwards I can laugh. I laugh a lot.