Suitcase in hand...along with whatever else the train allows passengers to take aboard with them.
Somewhere in his stuff is an air mattress he'll sleep on for the week. Along with various items of necessity to get thru one week without furniture and all the creature comforts of home.
Within the past few weeks, Blaize accepted a job in Chicago with Jim Beam. Beam Suntory, to be exact. He'll be a Corporate Communications Specialist.
I have no idea what that truly means. Even though he's tried to explain it to me, I just know that as he describes his duties...his face lights up and his expressions tell me that this is the type of job he's been waiting for...looking for...since graduating this past May with his Master's degree.
It wasn't easy. It wasn't cheap. He spent lots of money going to and from interviews in Chicago. He'd be in the top three. Then, the top two. Then, the call would come that there might be something else coming soon but they'd given the position to someone else.
I kept telling him I was sorry but felt the right job was out there and he was obviously on the correct path.
It wasn't happening as quickly as he'd hoped. But Ed and I were happy to have him stay at home for as long as he needed.
Five months.
Now, he's employed and has a studio apartment in Wicker Park.
It happened.
Right when it was supposed to happen.
We'll go this Saturday to move all the furniture, clothes, and other stuff he's packed up to begin this new adventure.
Damn.
I'm so proud.
I realized that we've now seen our two oldest sons move away to take jobs and become the independent men we raised them to be.
This is what parents hope for. Happy children. Self-sufficient and strong.
I know this is a blessing.
I'm thankful he'll be close enough to come back home. Again. A blessing.
But, as with all mom's, there's that part of me that would have loved to have him stay home even longer. Living in his bedroom with all his things piled around him.
I'll miss the random plate or glass that Blaize is known for leaving out on the end table over night. He can never seem to remember where the dishwasher is.
I'll miss seeing him when I get home from work. And I'll miss having him ask what we're doing for dinner. The upside will be that we can now add onions to all our dishes because he's the only one who doesn't like them.
Where in the world has the time gone? How did he grow up enough to be moving away and starting a 'real' job?
This life-thing sure has a way of sneaking up on you.
It's not an ending.
It's a beginning.
This will be a side of Blaize I've never seen before.
I can't wait to get to know him.
If possible, the love continues to grow for my son.
This man who used to be a boy.
It is what it is.
p
