I wake up in the middle of the night out of a deep hard sleep. Wide awake at 3am. 5 minutes later my text alert goes off. My phone is 2 floors away, but I hear the alarm. I get up to check, at this time of night it has to be something important. I see my son’s name in the inbox. He’s sleeping over a friend’s house.
“Hi. Are you home?”
“Yes. What’s up?”
“I forgot my inhaler”
“Are you okay? Need me to come.”
“I guess so. Everyone is asleep. Why are you up?”
“Not sure. I was asleep.”
“I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I’m leaving the house now. Be there soon.”
“Okay. What should I do.”
“Wake Chris. Tell him you need to go home. I will be there in 10minutes.”
I leave the house and start the car and make my way to the freeway. The streets are empty. I leave my phone on the seat next to me.
“Mom, let me know when you get close so I can get ready.”
“Ok”
“Are you bringing me my inhaler?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t text and drive.”
This text makes me smile and I wind my way to Mission Street. There’s no one anywhere. I pull up in front of Chris’s house.
“I’m here.”
“k”
He comes down the stairs and gets into the car. Takes his inhaler from my hand and takes a long draw. There’s immediate relief on his face. Not just because of the albueterol, but the stress is gone. He doesn’t have to worry anymore, his safety net is there.
“Thanks mom. How did you know to wake up?”
“I’m your mom, son. The ties go deep.”
“I love you mom. Look it’s 3:30. Happy Mother’s Day.”
And he’s right, almost every day is a happy mother’s day.
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I had a hard time deciding between this one and What Happens Afters, but - being the mother of a teenage boy - I had to choose this one. Somehow with these texts (and that bit of dialogue at the end) you tell us everything about your relationship with your son (and in some ways every mother's relationship with her son). Wonderful job!
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