What’s So Good About Good-bye?

This is it, kiddo,” Grandma said, and gave me one of her famous bone-crushing hugs. “We’ll see you in a week. Unless you don’t make it that far, which you might not. I’ve seen that brochure too. But anyway, good luck!”

“Um… thanks?” I said.

“Yeah, good luck,” Georgia said. “I think you’re going to need it. That Sergeant guy looks like he could eat you for breakfast—”

“Come here, you,” Mom said. She put an arm around my shoulder and walked with me away from everyone else, across the parking lot.

“YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE!” Sergeant Fish yelled after us.

“Yes, sir, Sergeant Fish, sir,” Mom said, just loud enough for me to hear. “I guess we better make this good and ‘snappy,’ huh?” I think she was making jokes to try and calm me down, but she would have had better luck giving a back rub to a brick wall.

“Mom?” I said. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Mom stopped walking then and looked me right in the eye. “Listen to me, sweetie,” she said. “All I can ask is that you do your very best. And I’ll tell you something else. I don’t think either of us has seen that yet. You have so much more inside you, Rafe. You just need to see that for yourself.”

Mom’s pep talk wasn’t making me feel very peppy, to be honest. Mostly, I felt confused.

“So… what does all that have to do with hiking and rafting and getting yelled at in the woods?” I said.

Mom smiled and reached over to give me a big long hug. Then she whispered in my ear, “That’s what you’re here to find out.”

I guess that was the end of one minute, because Sergeant Fish started screaming across the parking lot again.

“TIME TO ROLL, KHATCHADORIAN! LET’S GO! MOVE LIKE YOU’VE GOT A PURPOSE!”

“That’s your cue,” Mom said. Then she started walking me toward the bus. “I love you, Rafe. No matter what,” she said.

“Love you too,” I said. I wanted to say more, but my throat was closed up tighter than Santa’s workshop on December 26. And I definitely didn’t want to start crying.

Mom didn’t cry either, even though I thought she might. I think she was trying to show me she could be strong if I could. It was one more reason why she’s basically the most awesome mom in the world.

Also—one more reason why I had to just shut up, buckle down, and get on that bus. After her speech, I wasn’t going to let her down ever again, if I could help it.