I tried
to laugh with her.
But inside, I was nervous.
Los Angeles felt impossibly far away.
Lily had never traveled that far without me. She was still my little girl in my mind, even though she was becoming increasingly independent right in front of my eyes.
I worried about everything.
What if she got sick?
What if she got lost?
What if something happened and I wasn’t there?
Lily eventually noticed how anxious I was.
She sat beside me at the kitchen table and took my hand.
“Mom, I’m going to be okay.”
I looked at her.
She smiled.
“I promise.”
I sighed.
“Call me every day.”
“I will.”
“And don’t wander away from your group.”
“I won’t.”
“And—”
“Mom.”
She laughed.
“I’m fifteen, not five.”
I smiled.
“I know.”
But when she hugged me, I held her a little longer than usual.
I didn’t know it then, but that woul
