Sometimes a girl has to fly

Last week I got an email that Continental had an e-saver to NC that would save me $300 on a ticket, so my sister and I cooked up A Plan. We pulled out our extremely weak and rusty deception skills, and I bought the ticket to fly home as a surprise for Mother’s Day.

Lissa picked me up, and when we got to Mom’s house she was working at the computer. I sauntered in, said, “hey,” and kept walking.

“Hey,” Mom said, and turned back to the monitor.

Then she looked up at Lissa, and it was a cartoon moment of BWAAAAH??!? as she turned slowly back to me, then jumped up.

She didn’t try to hug me or anything for several minutes, just touched my face, grasped my hand, and stared at me.

None of us remember what it is like to be an infant and be gazed at by our mother for the first time. But I imagine this moment was a little like that. She stared at me as if I were a secret wish that she couldn’t believe had come true.