Time To Write This Again

This blog can go dormant for stretches of time, but inevitably there is a moment when my children grow older that draws me back...
Cameron has just finished his sophomore year at Western Kentucky University.  Last year he interned at the Lexington Herald-Leader over the summer. He lived in Lexington for the ten weeks, but Lexington is right there.  An hour and fifteen minutes or so away.  This summer he is interning at the Tampa Bay Times.  The Tampa Bay Times is housed in a building in St. Petersburg, Florida.  That is and hour and 15 minutes times about ten away.
We packed Cameron's stuff into his car and he and I left for St. Petersburg on Saturday.  Stopped in Knoxville at a friends house Saturday night and then drove all day Sunday, rolling into St. Petersburg around 10:30 p.m.  I don't pick up the rental car and come home till tomorrow (Tuesday morning), so Monday morning I took Cameron to the Times building for his first day.  Dropped him off at 9:00 for a 9:15 start.  And then I got sent packing - it's not a good thing to be seen getting dropped off by your dad for your summer college internship.  I get that.
Spent the day driving all over the place.  Scouting out where the grocery stores are, where the Kia dealership is (in case there is any service required), where the Wal-Marts are - that sort of thing.  So I could report back on all these things if any of them came up.  Unnecessary stuff really, they have computers here with search engines and Cameron is armed with a smart phone and a good deal of intelligence.  He's got this.
So the end of the first work day comes and Cameron says where should I meet you and then he suggests the Starbucks where we stopped this morning and I agree.  As I arrive at the Starbucks my phone rings.  It's Cameron.
"Where are you?" he asks.
"I'm at Starbucks.  Where are you?"
"I don't know."
"Okay.  Is there a street sign?"
"Yes.  Central."
"Okay.  Is there another street sign?"
"Sixth."
And right here is the moment.  I know what he has done.  He's walked a couple of blocks in the wrong direction.  He's been in that building all day and got turned around.  Easy to do.  Except I don't want him to ever have that happen.  And I always want to be able to correct the situation.  But that cannot be.  Your sons have to grow up and they have to go to college and they have got do summer internships and eventually live their very own lives on their very own.
But not today.  Not totally.
"Stay there.  I'll be right there."  I know where he is.  I've been driving around all day.  I know exactly where he is.  And so I drive there.  And there he is.  There is my boy, waiting for me.  Trusting me.  And he comes to the car and gets in.
And so yes, tomorrow I'll get in the rental car and I'll drive back to Kentucky.  And over the next twelve weeks he'll have amazing experiences and probably get lost a few times and grow up some more.  My role is not what it was.
But sometimes it is.  Sometimes when he doesn't know where he is, maybe I will.  And when I do, I will be there.  Just as long as this honor of being dad is mine.