Member-only story
A Letter to the Daughter Who Got Away
Why I won’t reach out, not even on Airbnb
Dear _______,
As you know, I’ve been hosting some of the bedrooms at our house on Airbnb. I’ve been a Super Host for a while now and not that long ago, Airbnb asked me to mentor new hosts on their platform. My job was to advise folks from all over the world on how to get started. You can imagine my surprise when they sent me your details. I had to call the help desk and explain why I couldn’t mentor you.
Twenty-two years ago, when you and I met, it was just after New Year’s. You wore purple jeans and purple is my favorite color. You had a hair brush that was too large for your pocket, and ran it through your shiny brown hair, sneaking glances at me, to see what would happen next. You were ten years old and your little brother, J. was five.
Your dad announced we were a couple and I vowed to myself I’d give you a sense of fair play which I’d been denied years before when I was in the same place as you. When we chatted, you became witty and manic, impossible to resist. You asked your dad to take you skating, then said to me, “Oh please come with us, please!”
I was thrilled to be included, even as I inched my way around the ice, watching you venture across the rink, resolute and determined, trailed by your dad…
