No. 709 – Landslide

Performer: Fleetwood Mac

Songwriter: Stevie Nicks

Original Release: Fleetwood Mac

Year: 1975

Definitive Version: Live, 1980

All the signs were visible when Mom and Dad finally broke up. Dad had already moved out for a while, and new names were popping up in casual conversation that obviously in retrospect indicated a life change coming.

But still any kid is bound to be shocked to a certain extent when they hear that their parents are getting a divorce. I was, I suppose, although I can’t say I was entirely unhappy about it. A divorce at least meant that the fights—particularly the ones in the middle of the night—thankfully were going to be a thing of the past.

We got the word at the end of summer in 1976. The whole family was at Torch Lake. It was a Sunday, which was usually the day we left to head back to Columbus anyway, so there was nothing strange when Dad said that we were leaving a bit earlier than planned.

I had just come up with Dad on Friday. We had picked up Mom in Marion at Grampy’s house, where she had been packing up things with Sally, (Jin and Scott were already at the lake.) I didn’t have much with me that I had to pack up, so I went down to the yacht club to watch the start of the E-boat race and get lunch before heading back to the ranch. I was somewhat surprised that Dad didn’t come with me.

When I got home, Dad had Pop’s motor home—The Bus, as we called it—packed up. When we left, Jin, Scott and I were in the front bench seats, and Mom was the in the back. We were thrilled at first: What kid doesn’t like sitting in front when he or she gets the chance? I know I did, because Mom and Dad ALWAYS sat in the front. I’d get to sit in front only if one of the parents wasn’t in the car.

But after awhile, it was strange that Mom continued to sit in back, saying nothing and just staring out the window. At one point maybe midway into the drive home, I went back at a stop to ask Mom if she wanted to sit up front. All she said was no. No one had said anything about anything.

I remember that day very well, but I don’t remember the next when I’m sure that Mom told us that the reason we came home ahead of time was that she and Dad were getting a divorce. I can’t remember whether she told us right away the reason they were getting a divorce, but I learned soon enough: Dad was seeing someone else.

Well, as you can imagine, when you’re a kid and you love both your parents and one apparently harms the other, you tend to immediately come to the defense of the injured parent. I was Team Mom all the way, and that definitely softened the blow of the actual news. It was like, well, OF COURSE, you’re getting a divorce. I was about to start seventh grade, and that was all the anxiety I could handle. Being able to compartmentalize the divorce was helpful to me.

It was only later with the benefit of hindsight and wisdom that I learned that nothing was as simple as my 12-year-old mind made it out to be at the time, and perhaps one day I’ll connect all the dots for you. The bottom line is it happened when it did only because it didn’t happen sooner, which it really should have—like at least 3 years sooner.

But it happened when it did, which was maybe less than a month after Grampy died and Mom became an orphan—at the age of 36. The timing couldn’t have been worse, and it was a 1-2 punch from which Mom never really recovered.