“Earth to Mom, earth to Mom . . . ” He waved his hand in front of her face in an effort to get her attention.

“What, honey?” she asked as if in a daze, finally turning her attention back to him.

“Don’t you think we should get going? We’re going to be late,” he replied. “We promised Grandma that we would be there by 7:00.”

“What time is it?” She suddenly realized that she was completely disoriented, and struggled to focus on her son and his words.

“I was worried about you last night.” Her only child was a typical first-born: Responsible, organized, forthright. She was genuinely sorry that she had concerned him.

“I’m sorry, honey,” she said as she gave him a good morning hug. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just went for some coffee and lost track of time.”

“Next time, answer your cell phone,” he chided her. “What’s the house rule?”

“I know, I know . . . ” He was not making this easy for her.

“If you’re out of the house, your phone should be on and you need to answer it when you see that the call is from ‘home.'” His mocking impression of her was flawless — and stung a bit.

“O.K., I get the point, buddy,” she sighed, again hugging his broad shoulders as she stroked his stubbled cheek with the palm of her hand. “How did you get so big so fast?”

“Don’t change the subject, young lady,” he teased.

“That’s it. I’m getting in the shower,” she announced as she poured herself another cup of coffee before striding toward the bathroom.

“All right,” he laughed. “I’m going to school. See ya later!” As he ran out the door, he added, “Love ya, Mom!”