Dinner Surprise

I received a surprise when I finally got settled last night...my son called and asked if I would go to dinner with him. This was at 7:45 PM. I had already eaten, so I told him maybe another time. We chatted for a bit and then we hung up. It nagged me for a few minutes so I decided to call him back. I told him that I had dinner, but I did not have dessert. I could tell he was smiling, even over the phone and I met him at Chili's 15 minutes later.

The place was packed with teens and some parents. We ended up waiting for 30 minutes but that did not seem to bother my son. He was patient and calm like he normally is. Once we got a table, we ordered water and sodas while we made up our minds what to get. When the waiter came back, my son ordered a BYOB (Build Your Own Burger) and I just ordered a side of fries since I had a big sandwich a couple of hours earlier. When the food came out, my fries ended up being a child's order, so the embarrassed waiter got me a regular order. My son and I thought it was funny.

We ended up talking for over an hour, which is a long time for him. He is usually not a big talker. He still is struggling with many things, but he is starting to get a bit more cemented. He wants to sell his 1995 Mazda millennia (he has dumped a ton of cash into that car) and buy a 2002 Corvette. I am surprised he wants an American car. He prefers Porsches. He may be getting this because he knows that I love Corvettes and since he is going to Iraq, he will need someone to watch it for him. As much as that appeals to me, I do not want to covet his car.

The discussion topics ranged from skater groupies to his impending mission to Iraq (He is in the National Guard). He currently works as a general support mechanic at Goodyear/Gemini Tire centers doing inspections, tire work, and oil changes. He just passed his first ASE cert test for suspension and now can work on suspensions and get shop hours pay. He hopes he can take a few more (there are 12 in all) so he can get to do more shop hour jobs (since it pays better).

Our son looks like he has gained some weight, which is a good thing. Ever since he moved out on his own, he has not been eating well. However he is up to 155 lbs which is still too light but better than the 135 he weighed a few months ago. The new weight looks good on him.

It was a pleasant meeting/dinner and we finished it off with a slice of Mudslide Pie, made with Bailey's Irish Cream. It was good, but very rich. I gave my boy the leftover fries (he wanted them for a snack later) and we headed out.

He used to be shy about hugs, but not any more. He hugged me 2-3 times that night before we went our separate ways. I wish we would have had more "good times" together before he left, but I will be content with the ones we had. I did not have custody of him all his years as a minor. His bio-mom and I lived in the same house for 3 years and I got custody of him when he was 8. There was about 5 years that I missed out on to be his full time dad and I still kick myself sometimes when I think about it. I know I cannot change the past, but I can make a difference in the future. I hope he decided to have kids so I can have grandson some day. I think I could make a good grandpa.