I see here a lot of very interesting stories. So I thought it would be nice to share mine.
I have a childhood friend. Let’s call her Myra. We were in the same sports club, so we encountered each other in the same gym every day for almost 8 years. I had never had any interest in her since we were children and she was 3 years younger than me. She stopped doing sports when she started going to high school. We lost all contacts, so I didn’t have the opportunity to see her for a few years.
After a few years, I encountered her and her mother, who knew me since I was a kid. It was Friday night and they were drinking outside on a bench with a bunch of people. To me, it was weird to see somebody’s mom drink with people half her age… turned out that Myra’s father would not leave her out of the house unless she had supervision, and her mother liked the idea of going out with Myra. Myra’s mother had a tough childhood and she actually didn’t have a chance to experience student’s nightlife. She enjoyed staying out. She had a pretty open-minded approach to life. It turns out Myra’s friends liked her mom (Tina) really much. They could fearlessly confess to her and seek openminded adult advice without being judged. She was a really positive person and still is.