My Boy Has Grown Into A Man I No Longer Recognize

I am engrossed in soapy dishes at the sink, my back is turned from the rest of the quiet house when I think I hear something, someone talking. Did I leave the TV on upstairs I wonder? I pause, my hands hover above water and I shake off a little uncertain fear inside my stomach. Halted in mid-air, I listen.

But, it’s quiet again.

I shake my head, shrug and hit the suds once more scrubbing a pan with vigor.

“Mom, where did you put my new jeans?” says a deep voice directly behind me.

I nearly pa...