do you know where your child is?

I had hoped that Alexander would join me on the Cape, but he couldn't. 

Too much work. Too far to drive. And a host of other reasons.

Plus, do I really want him driving five hours to the Cape? He is relatively new to driving, after all. I think I'd worry too much.

So I go to the Cape without him. We speak often. He sounds good. 

Last night Alexander calls.

We talk a bit before he says, "Look, I need to tell you something and you're not going to like it."

When my son says something like this, I know that I am definitely, 100%, not going to like it. There is zero chance that I will think, "Oh you're wrong, that doesn't bother me at all." My son knows me too well.

He continues.

"I just got back from Arizona and California."

"You what?" I ask incredulously.

Before I have much of a chance to say anything more, he continues.

"I know you wouldn't like it and I know you would have tried  to dissuade me. And, you would have worried the whole time."

Of course he's right.

I express my disappointment, especially since I haven't seen him since December. But I can't be angry or then he'll just stop telling me things. 

I ask for details.

Alexander flew to Arizona last Monday, met a friend from Chicago there, and drove to the Grand Canyon. (Arizona, by the way, has just been added to NY as a state requiring a 14-day quarantine after you've been there).

Alexander and his friend decide on glamping — so much better than my son's original plan to camp out. Hard to picture my city boy erecting a tent by himself, and then sleeping among snakes and other unfriendly wildlife.

After three days, Alexander's friend flies home and he rents a car and drives seven hours, through the relatively deserted desert, near wildfires, to LA. I'd have been a mess just thinking about this part of the trip.

He gets to LA and spends time with his Aunt Lisa (Eric's sister), including a trip to Malibu.

And though I didn't know it at the time, on the same day that Alexander is enjoying the views on one coast, I am enjoying the view on another; here at Central Park's reservoir.

My son is in good, caring hands with his very cool, creative, and fun aunt. We both adore Lisa.

She encourages Alexander to tell me, and he says he will when he gets home.

And he does, as soon as he's off the plane, last night.

The truth is, I do understand. 

The Cape doesn't compare to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Malibu. And he did save me from worrying about the plane trips, the very long, lonesome drive through the desert, the wildfires, and COVID.

I never would have thought that an old PSA, Do you Know Where Your Children Are? would apply to my 27-year old today.

Guess I was wrong.