"Greetings Child of Corn."
"Hi Auntie Lindsay."
I ask him about school and he tells me his favorite subject is weight lifting. I tell him I liked the picture he texted me but to ask for extra credit instead of drawing pictures of dinosaurs in math class. I ask him if he's been giving his mom a hard time and if his stepdad is being cool. I ask all the grown up things I'm supposed to before I can't stand it anymore.
"So...tell me all about the new chickie!"
"Her name's Angelina and she goes to the college. She loves to play video games. She's a very upbeat person but it doesn't look like it cause all she wears is black or purple but that's just because she isn't very girly. She's very smart. She's a lot shorter than me and she's pretty awesome."
A grin spreads across my face as I read his instant message. He's happy. He's so excited at the newness and it makes the ugly little black spot that had been hanging out on my heart just melt.
"I think you'd like her."
He tells me he's taking her to the movies for Valentine's Day. A scary movie that's rated R because she can get them in legally. That makes me smile, remember what it was like to be young.
My phone pings as I instant message and I get another taste of youth. On the phone is a picture of him with his new chickie, smiling in winter's first snow. The black spot on my heart falls away.
"You just gave me a warm fuzzy and I really needed one today."
A brief pause before I see he's responding. I imagine him on the other end of the computer, rolling his eyes at his silly Auntie Lindsay's mush. But he surprises me.
"Well, I'm glad." Though he's miles away, I can see the shy and genuine little smile I first saw fifteen years ago and my heart swells.
He's really kind of a neat Child of Corn.
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