Red Lobster, seafood, Gatorade, he's my friend

Yesterday, my husband went to have fun with his high school friends after church. My daughter has gone to visit my sister for a few days before school starts, leaving my son and myself home. After church I told him to pick a place to eat and we would go. He loves seafood so he chose Red Lobster. My son is 15, tall, lean, has a deep voice, soft spoken, sharp wit, and just a neat young man. We order our food, he always gets the Utimate Feast. We have normal, everyday conversation about the upcoming week. School starts Wednesday. His football practice is from 2-8pm beginning Monday. We talk about Gatorade, eating properly before practice, his school schedule and if he needs anymore clothes. As I look into his slender face and hear his deep voice, I can still see the round face topped with the blonde hair. I can remember his arms locking around my neck each morning as I reached into his bed to pick him up. I can see that grin across his face as he snapped legos together. I remember his first jeep that was battery operated and how he learned to switch it to the faster mode and giggled as I screamed to watch out. It has all gone so fast. I now sit across from a young man who is my friend. I can listen and share with him. I feel so blessed with his personality, choices, and what he has become. We finish our meal and laugh at a family taking 20 minutes to order their food. We go to Walmart and buy the new endurance Gatorade so he can make it today in football practice. I listen to him sing a Lynard Synard song in the car. I notice his knees are now touching the dash and I remember looking in the backseat, not too long ago, at a tow headed little boy with a smile and red Ked sneakers. Now, I reach up for the hug. He reaches down for me.