I don’t believe I have ever gone
into any detail about my relationship with Rob; this seems to be the perfect
time because it is a very exciting time for him. We met Rob when he was about thirteen so he
was still very much a kid. That made me
about twenty-four years old. Nowhere
near old enough to be his mother, I know, but wait and read on.
He was a great kid. Fantastic sense of humor, Rob was up for
anything that included practical jokes or trickery. And he was earnest; if a job needed doing he
did with great dispatch and a minimum of teenage grumbling. Straight from the get go he was a friend,
ready to be there in any need and more than willing to carry his share of the
burden. It didn’t take long for us to
want to include Rob in our life; he spent time with us on weekends whenever his
parents allowed it and he even took a few trips with us where we made some
great memories. All and all he was a
happy person to be with and a genuine friend.
Things at home were not as they
should be but that is Rob’s story to tell.
We had known him for a few years and the relationship continued to grow;
there came a time when Rob decided he was moving away from home and striking
out on his own. We were appalled at the
idea of him doing that; he was still in high school! You have to understand; Rob was a smart young
man. He knew if he cut loose from home
that he would have to work to support himself and he knew what kind of bills he
would be looking at, but he was determined.
Don had a talk with him and as things worked out Rob ended up moving in
with us. I guess that’s when the
mothering instinct kicked into high gear.
When he moved out it was my fault and I cried for days.
I am at a loss as to how to
describe exactly why I feel so motherly for Rob. The age difference isn’t all that great
between us and yet it is. There he was
just a kid and I was all grown up and well into womanhood and I didn’t see him
getting very much mothering so I stepped in.
It was also shortly after I had my hysterectomy and I knew I would never
have a child of my own but I needed one desperately and there he was. I only know that over the years the feeling
has not gone away but grown stronger.
There is never a time when I cease to be aware of him; he is there and
if I know he is doing well then that is good and I don’t have to put him on the
front burner and worry. If we don’t hear
from him for a while I get worried and wonder what is going on. I have no way of knowing if these are
feelings that real mothers have but to me that’s what it feels like. I want to protect him if he isn’t doing well
and I worry myself to distraction when he is sick.
He has grown into a fine man and
father. He has put himself through
college and kept climbing ladders at work.
He is an inspiration to others in his kindness and generosity. If I had been able to have son I would have
wanted him to be exactly like Rob (except as a mother I would not want to know
some of the things he has done! too
scary!).
The exciting thing for Rob is that
he has been blessed to find his one true love, Johna, and they are getting
married on November 1 in Jamaica. Oh, I
wish them joy and I wish them peace; they love each other so much it
hurts. You can see it in their eyes.
As the Bob Marley song Johna sent
me says “Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright”
There is always hope.
