Chloe and her mother, Linda, had argued before Chloe left for university. It wasn’t even about anything serious. Linda complained that Chloe wasn’t helping enough around the house. Chloe said nobody appreciated anything she did. Then she grabbed her bag. “I’m leaving.” Linda was angry too. “Fine. Go.” Chloe walked out. That was the last thing Linda said to her. Two hours later, she called Chloe. No answer. She called again. Nothing. By midnight, Linda was sitting on the sofa, staring at her phone. At 2 a.m., Chloe still hadn’t come home. The next morning, Linda called Chloe’s friends. Nobody knew where she was. She contacted the university. Nothing. By the afternoon, she was terrified. Then a message came from Chloe. “I’m safe. Please don’t look for me.” Linda immediately called. This time Chloe answered. She was crying. “Where are you?” “I’m at the train station.” “Why?” There was a long silence. Then Chloe said, “Because I heard you tell Aunt Sarah last week that you wished you’d had more time with Grandma before she died.” Linda’s heart sank. “What does that have to do with this?” “I went to see Grandma’s grave.” Linda stopped talking. Chloe continued. “I’ve been so angry with you lately that I forgot you’re getting older too.” “I kept thinking I had plenty of time to tell you things.” “But I don’t know how much time we actually have.” Linda started crying. “Come home.” “I will.” “Please.” “I just needed to be somewhere quiet.” Three hours later, Chloe walked through the front door. Linda didn’t ask where she’d been. She didn’t lecture her. She simply hugged her. Chloe cried against her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” “Me too.” They stood there for a long time. The argument that had seemed so important the night before suddenly felt ridiculous. That evening, Linda cooked dinner. Chloe helped her. They talked about university, work, money, family and everything they’d been avoiding. Before going to bed, Chloe stopped at the kitchen door. “Mum?” “Yeah?” “I’m glad you told me to go.” Linda smiled sadly. “Why?” “Because it made me realize I didn’t want to.” Linda walked over and hugged her again. Sometimes an argument doesn’t end because one person wins. Sometimes it ends because both people finally remember that they love each other more than they love being right. - @truelifestory11