The Surprise of Letting Go

While the cat climbed in and out of his unzipped bags, and I handed him folded t-shirts, our son Sam finished packing for his return to college. At his request, he would travel back alone to start his junior year.

Around the edges of our casual conversation lurked my unasked questions. As the opportunity to voice them began to shrink, I set them free.

“So, when you arrive at the dorm, who will already be there?”

“A couple of people.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know, don’t worry about it.”

“Seriously.”

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