MEMOIR
One Last Note Before You Grow Up
I’ll try not to be too embarrassing
In the blink of an eye, you became a grown man.
Well, it didn’t exactly work like that. I’ve noticed changes in you lately, especially in the last few months. You seemed more motivated and focused, curious about the world and more driven. You’ve started taking care of your health and working hard at college and at your job.
I’ve been enormously proud of you for your whole life, but right now it’s a little bittersweet. Sure, we’ve talked plenty of times about what you wanted to be when you grew up and where you’d like to live (you used to say you wanted to be a “daddy” for your job). I just wasn’t expecting the day you became a man to come so soon.
When I think about the best times you and I have had together, nothing tops our weekend trip to Universal Studios in Orlando when you were only sixteen. Your stepfather, Matt, was going to come along, but then he had to cancel for something work-related, and so it was just you and me.
When we got there, the hotel room that Matt had booked for all of us was huge. We each had our own bedroom and bathroom, and there was a giant glass dining room table where we mostly ate quick fast food during our stay.
