Bittersweets and Monday Sparks

Well, it's that time of year again. School is out, summer is starting, and Son left yesterday for his long summer visit with his dad. He was excited to go, especially this year because he got to bring one of his school friends along for the first week. I dropped them off at the meeting place, said my goodbyes--not too effusive so as not to embarrass Son, of course--and went on back home.

Part of me is saying "Woo Hoo!" Summer vacation! I can go wherever, do whatever, and not have to be back home to feed him/take him to sports or church or wherever he needs to be (and he always needs to be somewhere). I can walk around the house naked if I want to. I can write without hearing "Mom!" just when I'm getting to the good part.

The other part of me is sad. Son has been doing this summer visit thing since he was seven years old, and I always remember the first time he went away from me: how small he was, how I had to leave him in other hands and go back home, 300 miles away, how he would call just to hear my voice (he still does this), how silent the house was without him. How horrified he was when his aunt dyed his hair yellow and how hard he cried when I came up to visit and saw it (he looked like a dandelion).

I know these next weeks will pass faster than I want, yet not fast enough. I know I'll call him and leave message after message and eventually he'll call back when he's not "busy". I know he'll call on the spur of the moment because he just wants to hear my voice. I know when he comes home he'll still drive me crazy--but he'll be glad to be home, and I'll be glad of it too.

Monday Sparks #13

Write your own bittersweet (fact or fiction).