? I pointed out.
She smiled fondly at me. “You were always such a good kid,” she said. “Your father and I never had much to worry about. And, we figured once you got to college, you’d meet someone special.”
“Like you did with Dad?”
Mom nodded, and I could see the little glimmer of light in her eyes when I mentioned dad. I loved the fact that they were still so in love with each other after twenty-eight years together. And, it was that little bubble of affection in her eyes that made me feel strangely lonely. My mind flashed to Professor William for a split second.
“No matter how hard life got, it didn’t really matter because I knew I had a partner in your father,” Mom said.
“I guess I just haven’t found the right guy yet, Mom,” I said.
“Have you tried?”
I hesitated. “Missy’s planning my twenty-first birthday celebration,” I said. “Maybe I’ll start there?”
Mom laughed. “I should have known I could count on Missy to push you onto the social scene. Good for her. How is she?”
“She’s going great,” I nodded. “I’m actually meeting her after lunch; I’ll tell her you said hi.”
“Please do,” Mom nodded. “Does she have a boyfriend?”
“Oh, she has many,” I laughed. “The guys go crazy over her.”
“They’d go crazy over you, too, if…”
“If what?” I demanded.
She laughed. “No offense, darling, but your style has always been a little...boyish.”
I smiled. “My style is comfortable.”
“I hope Missy is going to give you a makeover before your twenty-first.”
I paused for a moment, realizing that she probably would do just that. I groaned. “Oh boy.”
Mom laughed, and after a moment, I couldn’t help but join in. We shared a fantastic lunch, and then I walked her back to her car.
“Give Dad a kiss from me,” I instructed her.
“Of course,” she nodded, placing a kiss on my cheek. “Try and have a little fun, sweetheart; you have the rest of your life to be a serious, hardworking adult.”
“I’ll remember that, Mom,” I promised.
I waited till her car had disappeared from sight before I made my way to the quad where Missy and I had agreed to meet. We wanted to hit the library together for an hour or so, before heading back to our dorm.
Missy was already there when I arrived at the quad. She was leaning against one of the pillars and scrolling through her phone. I noticed a guy in the corner checking her out, and I wished for a moment that I was able to draw looks the way my friend could.
“Hi,” I greeted, as I walked up to her.
“How was lunch with your mom?” Missy asked, putting her phone away.
“Great,” I nodded. “She says hi.”
“Tell her I said ‘hi’ right back,” Missy nodded, as she turned in the direction of the library. “Guess who I saw on the way over here?”
“Who?”
“Professor Hottie,” she revealed, giving me a wink in the process.