A Dinner Date

Adam and I had dinner together last night. His treat. I wore the earrings and necklace he bought me for Christmas and a red jacket to match.

He wore his sports jacket and black sweater. He's a cool dude.

We don't go out together as often as we used to.

Last night, Mum and Dad were at a barbecue to celebrate the success of the tournament.

Keenan and Robyn went up north to be with Grampa and Aunt Jill and her family. Grampa is missing Margaret terribly and the family gather around when they can.

Aaron was working.

So Adam was free to be with me. He had the game to watch after with a beer in his hand and nobody to tell him he couldn't have another one.

I thought about some of our times together. When he was small enough to sit on the steering wheel with his legs through the spokes.

When we played pat-a-cake. and impsey- wimpsey spider. His style of eating an ice cream cone. He simply dropped his face into it.

Later,when he was about four, I took him to Baskin and Robins and let him choose. I was never quick enough to stop him from getting away from me after. There was a games arcade a few doors up and he was gone in a flash making a beeline for the next excitement.

I always had to solicit the help of whoever was on staff to get him out of that place.

I thought I might stay with him last night. But Heather assured me he would be fine. He likes to be by himself, she said.

Every now and again, she comes home and everybody is accounted for except Adam. Nobody notices when he went or how long he's been gone.

He has a cell phone and answers it. But always manages to be cagey about where he is at. so that if anyone thinks of seeking him out, they won't know where to look.

They live close to the Mall and of course Yonge Street. There are lots of stores that interest him.

Pizza shops where he can buy a slice and a pop. He can go where he wants instead of tagging along where other people want to go.

Well, he's twenty-four years old now. We just have a hard time getting used to that.