I had no idea what my daughter was carrying onto that bus.
I sent Kathleen long messages every couple of days. Photos of the neighbor's cat sitting on our porch. A funny story about the woman at the pharmacy who called me "sugar" four times in one transaction.
Her replies were always short.
"Everything's great!"
"Having fun!"
"Love you, Mom!"
I sent Kathleen long messages.
I told myself she was busy enjoying herself and didn't have time to spend on her phone.
Teenagers at summer camp weren't supposed to be texting their mothers paragraphs. If anything, the short answers were a good sign, right?
***
By the second week, I stopped sending long ones.
I didn't want to look like the clingy mom.
I told myself she was busy.
***
Pickup day, the parking lot was chaos.
Duffel bags, sunburned faces, and kids screaming names across the asphalt.
Kathleen ran straight into me and hugged me tightly. Tighter than a two-week hug should be, I remember thinking, but I chalked it up to missing home.
