"Mom, you're a woman, right?"
Angela almost choked on her sandwich. She looked at Michael-Vincent to see if he was joking, since he'd inherited his father's sense of humor, but he was serious.
"Yes, Sweetie, I'm a woman. Why?"
"I need advice from a woman. I want to take Christine on a real date before I leave for Paris and she leaves to spend summer at the convent, but I'm not sure what we should do. We go to movies a lot, and eat meals together all the time. I want something different for this, so it'll be special. You know, something we'll remember."
Angela smiled. "The most memorable date I ever had was the first date I had with your father. We went to the park and played on swings. He'd heard me say something about childhood and swings. It wasn't so much what we did, but that he listened to me. That's very romantic."
Michael-Vincent rolled his eyes. "You're weird, Mom. Playing on swings does not sound romantic."
"You need to think about what Christine has told you about what she values...what she wants to do. Maybe a benefit concert or a trip to an art museum. Something where you can relax, have fun, and just be yourselves. It doesn't have to be formal."
"Okay. I'll think about it." He sighed heavily.
"What's the matter, Sweetie?"
Tears rolled down his cheek. "What if she decides she wants to be a nun? What am I gonna do? We've been best friends literally our whole lives."
Angela hugged her son and let him cry. "When we love people we have to let them make choices that we may not like. You'll always be friends with Christine. If you want to be more, you need to tell her."
Michael-Vincent sniffled. "I know. Thanks, Mom."