Genesis

Saturday, October 17th, 2015


At 5PM my son called me. We talk every day - and today his first call was much later than usual. I didn't think too much of it because I was busy - designing a Great Gatsby cake for my friend Eva.


"Mom, I don't know what's wrong with me,  I am losing my words." He said in a hurried tone.
Then his friends burst out laughing in the background.
"What?" I answered back, annoyed that I did not get the joke.
"Mom, I don't know," he said between breathy bursts of laughter, "I am serious! I woke up this morning slurring my words. But since I started talking to you it stopped."
"Jason, that's not funny." I said starting to get my hypochondriac fibers up.
"That could mean there is something wrong with your brain."
Of course as his mother and raising him how I did -that's the only logical explanation.
"Did you crack a tooth or something? Was your tongue asleep." Still trying to medically diagnose him 3 hours away over the phone. "Something like that means something is wrong with your brain. You could have had a stroke." I said that out loud but even I did not believe that.
He was still laughing with his friends in the background.
"I'm fine mom."
"Are you sure?" I was imagining driving up that night. Bringing him down to take him to the doctor and dreading telling Carmelo why I was going to get him.
"Yes, mom. I am fine." He said calmly and annoyed. As if he could hear me starting the car to head upstate to pick him up from school.
I relaxed. Isolated incident. He is like his mom he exaggerates. Maybe he is being bullied? Maybe he just wants to give a reason to come home? The crazy I try to subdue started to rear its head. The crazy mother who would dress in full battle regalia and draws swords to protect her kids from mosquitos was rattling her chains wanting to be cut lose.
"Ok papi. If it happens again - I want you to go to the clinic on campus, ok?"
"Ok, mom." It was over the phone but I saw the eye roll. The one that he does that makes him look like a zombie with 2inch long eyelashes. I wanted to slap him.
"Ok Papi, I love you."
"I love you too mom."
click.