The new man in my life

Friday night the kids were home with me; Daughter was sleep on the couch and Son was in his room reading a book for school. I poked my head into my dear Son's room and had this exchange:

Me: I'll be right back, I have to go across the street and get my foil.
Son: What, to Aldi's? (it's 11 at night... um no)
Me: No, across the parking lot. I told you I couldn't make those cookies because I left my foil at the Neighbors'.
Son: *raised eyebrow* The Neighbors? How's that work..... how did you meet them?
Me: Uh well there aren't many black people in this apartment complex so you kind of just end up saying hi to and hanging out with anyone that you just happen to see.
Son: *looks at me skeptically with giant probing grey eyes* So... how does that work? What do you DO with the neighbors?
Me: We watch TV.... America's Best Dance Crew and I Love Money and Hell Date and CNN and all that. We just hang out.
Son: *gives me the "woman stop lying" look* Hmm.... well ok.
Me: I'll be right back in a minute.

I had all intentions of just running over there and getting my foil, which I'd left there a few days ago (being neighborly, I let them borrow it), so I could come back and bake my cookies. But there were so many good movies on so many different channels simultaneously (Pulp Fiction, Old School, National Lampoon's Vacation, Hustle and Flow) and we just started watching TV and talking about random ish that I ended up saying for a minute hour (at the most). I figured with Son reading his book (Three Musketeers I think) that he'd be knocked out by then since it was so late when I stepped out the door. Um, not so much. I get back to my apartment, turn the handle and *thud*..... this chile had locked the door on me, and all I'd taken with me was my phone. WTF?? All I could do was look up to the heavens and sigh.... he is SUCH my child. My Son is notorious for leaving the door unlocked all night, used to leave the garage door open all night, so obviously this was deliberate. I knocked on the door, and this boy opens it and says "Dang what took you so long??" in his man-child, no longer my baby but not quite a man, voice. I tried to be mad and tell him to mind his own damn business and I'm the mom and it's not his place to question me, etc. etc., but his concern was kind of cute. And then I'm also still, after 14 years, a sucker for his big ole grey-green eyes. I merely told him that we ended up talking and watching TV (which is the honest-to-blog truth) and just walked past him into the apartment.

Oh teenage sons..... you think you get one man out of your life that you no longer have to answer to, and they step right up and assume that role with a quickness. I love him though, and I'm glad he looks out for me in his own way.