“Is it cool? Will I like it?”
“It’s supercool and you’ll love it.”
She inquired about things at home. He assured her that there had been no glitches in their well-oiled schedule. Cathy Hearon was a born organizer.
“Is it still raining in New York?”
“Yeah,” Graham said dismally. “Cats and dogs.”
“Too bad. It’s gorgeous and sunny here.”
“Have you gone swimming?”
“I’ve been too busy.”
“Mom? Do we have to move to that place in South Carolina?”
Jade’s smile evaporated. Her son’s lack of enthusiasm for relocating bothered her tremendously. “You know the answer to that, Graham. Why do you keep asking me?”
“I won’t know anybody,” he mumbled dejectedly. “I’ll have to leave all my friends.”
The closer they came to making the move from New York, the more frequently they had this conversation. Graham knew that the project was important to her from a career standpoint. He didn’t know its personal implications—no one did.
He had taken their previous moves in stride. Now that he was a teenager, friendships had become more meaningful. He was resistant to the idea of leaving them.
“You’ll make new friends, Graham.”
“There’s nothing to do there.”
“That’s not true. Palmetto’s near the ocean. You’ll be able to go to the beach whenever you want. We’ll go fishing and crabbing.”
“I don’t even like crab.”
She let that pass. “Palmetto schools have soccer teams now—I’ve already checked. You’ll be able to continue playing.”
“But it won’t be the same.”
“No. It won’t be the same. It’s very different from the city.”
“It’s hicksville.”
Dead end. There was no argument to that. Compared to the Big Apple, Palmetto was definitely hicksville. After an ensuing silence, Jade said with excitement, “Tomorrow I’m interviewing the contractor I came all this way to see. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck. I hope you can hire him. And, Mom, be careful. There are some real weirdos in California.”
“And none in New York?”
“At least here you can easily spot them.”
“I’m always careful,” she promised. “I hope I can conclude my business in a couple more days and come home. We’ll go out together and do something special. Deal?”
“Deal.”
She was consumed by homesickness for him as she hung up the phone. There were days when he was ornery, but generally he was an ideal son. As he grew older, he assumed a proprietary and protective air toward her, which Jade found both amusing and touching.
He was already taller than she. That had taken some getting used to. He was strong, athletic, and boundlessly energetic. Jade took secret pride in his physical attractiveness, but whenever someone remarked on it, she stressed her pride in his intelligence and character. He had a keen sense of humor and a sensitivity that she found personally gratifying.
She didn’t lightly dismiss his reluctance to leave his friends and school and move to another state—another world. The move for him was still months away, as he wouldn’t leave school until the current semester was over. She hoped that when the time came, he would be psychologically prepared for it, although he had already had more than a year to get accustomed to the idea.