Missing The Grommet

My son is in Hawai'i. The little shit.

He was at his friend Jeff's house last Friday night and Jeff's parents were upset because their daughter had backed out of the annual family vacation at the last minute. She called them on Friday morning and told them that she was going to Texas with her boyfriend instead. Problem is, they were leaving at o'dark thirty the next morning and now Jeff's parents were not only upset, but were left holding an extra ticket. Suddenly, Jeff's mom has an epiphany..."Bryson, you should come with us!"

Naturally, he wanted to go, but knowing that we were in no position to pay for a ticket and he, having been unemployed for the last two months, left him, as he puts it; "poor". So he thanked them kindly and declined. Jeff's mom insisted. She works for United, so the ticket's a done deal. She simply has to change it from her daughter to Bryson. Jeff and his dad both chimed in that it was no big deal. So Bryson thinks on it a few minutes and then calls me.

"Hello?"

"Mommy. Can I go to Hawai'i?"

"Um....With what money? When? With who? What the hell are you talking about Bry?"

"Tomorrow morning. With Jeff's family. His parents invited me. The ticket's paid for."

"WHAT?? Are you messing with me right now Grommet?"

"No. Serious. Totally fucking serious." (Explanation of the circumstances)

"Bry. Remember Daddy and I told you that Christmas is going to be tight. You and your sisters are only getting stockings this year. So if you go and we give you spending kala ($$), THAT'S your present this year. Are you sure this is okay?"

Suddenly I'm talking to Jeff's mom who is BEGGING me to let Bry go with them. Everything's planned and covered. They can't think of any one of Jeff's friends that they'd rather have along. Please.

What could I say? I thank her humbly for their kind gift and she thanks me for a having such a great son whom they adore. She puts Bry back on the phone.

"Well?"

"You're a lucky guy Grommie. I guess you better get home and pack."

"Scha-weeeet!!"

So, as planned at o'dark thirty, we were dropping him off at Jeff's house, handing him the Christmas kala, and giving him all the parent-type admonitions; mind your manners, stay out of trouble, be grateful, and PLEASE call Tutu (Grandma) while you're there. Oh, and have fun.

It's been a week and it's quiet around here. Caris loves it of course because she has the bathroom to herself. She doesn't have to deal with wetsuits hanging in the shower or toilet seats being up. There are no dirty dishes lying around. The house stays cleaner longer. And it's quiet. I miss him.

The phone calls have been few, which is unusual for my son. Apparantly, he got so excited to be there that on the first day when he and Jeff went straight to the beach, he forgot his phone was in his board shorts and it went swimming with him. He's used Jeff's phone a couple of times to call. Mostly I hear about his activities from his girlfriend, who also misses him.

Last night, our neighbors brought over homemade tamales; something that Bry looks forward to every year. So while his girlfriend Samantha was over, she called him to tell him that she was eating his share of the tamales. She put him on speaker phone.

"Mmmmm..Bry, you're SO right! These tamales are awesome."

"What? The tamales came?"

"Oh yeah, and they're dank." (Dank; teenspeak for "good", "awesome", "great")

"Hey Girl, don't be eatin' all my tamales. Let me talk to my mom."

"Hi Grommie. Yep, the tamales came and they're delicious as usual. Bet you wish you were here."

"Oh yeah? Well, I just had a kalua pork manapua (my favorite kind of local "sandwich") and a lilikoi shave ice (passionfruit). Bet you wish you were here."

Dammit. Little shit.

I miss him.