English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

I did not wait and ponder what I should do. That would not have been me. Acting swiftly, I took Kenneth and Barbara out of school the next week and flew home to Switzerland. My mother met us in Zermatt, a charming alpine village where automobiles were prohibited and life was pretty much as it was a hundred years before. That is what I wanted. The weather was heavenly. I took the children on hikes. They climbed mountains, ran along streams and chased animals. They picked flowers and brought home rocks. Their cheeks were sunburned. It was an unforgettable experience.
In the morning, the spell was broken. My mother was back to her old self and we enjoyed the train ride to Zurich. Manny met us in the city and we checked into a luxury hotel, which was more his style. I did not mind, since my “tank” was full of crisp alpine air and wildflowers. After one more week, we flew back to Chicago. I felt totally rejuvenated, except that I could not shake the talk I’d had with my mother. I tried not to pay attention, but it was a dark cloud on my conscience.