Bball Boy

We took Parker to basketball camp this week.
We loaded his sleeping bag, suitcase full of shorts and white Hanes tshirts, and brand new hi-tops into the trunk and headed for Springfield.
We had just turned onto the main road when I said, "oh man! I forgot my camera."
To which Mr. Reflective Sunglasses, Jr. replied dryly, "That's a shame."
He is actually pretty tolerant when I flit around him and his friends while they do whatever it is they do...snapping away and sometimes even asking them to pause so I can get the perfect shot to augment my next blog post.  He just rolls his eyes and treats me like an annoying but harmless fly.
But this time, he had managed to catch me camera-less.
We arrived at the campus and lugged his stuff up to his room...where we discovered they were staying on what must normally be a girl's floor.  There were huge pink and purple flowers painted down the hall walls.
"See," I joked.  "If I had my camera, I could take your picture in front of these flowers!  But I don't."
He looked at his 6ft 3in roommate and said, "Thank God!"
And after taking care of the "Non-working Key" snafu and going over the camp rules, it was time to go.
We hugged him...well, I hugged him.  His dad slapped him on the back.  And we drove away.
And Mr. Reflective Sunglasses, Sr. said, "You realize this is the first time he's gone to stay away somewhere without a family member."
And we rode in silence for a min.
But I knew he'd be fine.  He'd be busy.  He'd have fun.  And he probably wouldn't even think of us until it was time to go home.
As I lay down in bed that night, my phone chirped.  It was a text from Parker.
"Night mommy. i love u."
I smiled in the dark and replied,
"Goodnight Bball boy.  I love you too!"