QUOTE : You don’t want him to be miserable. It’s just . . . you were planning not to go away to college because he might need you, right? And then he’s the one who goes off to school, and he doesn’t even seem to miss you. But I bet he does miss you. It’s just that he’s like Ivy—neither of them is very good at saying what other people need to hear.”<br /><br />“But it’s more than just what he says. I honestly think I miss him more than he misses me.”<br /><br />“That’s because you took care of him. And he’s still basically being taken care of, but you don’t have anyone to take care of. So you lost more than he did.” I nudge his hand with mine. “I’m willing to be taken care of, by the way, if you need someone to fill that void. I could use a little more nurturing in my life.”<br /><br />“I’ll try,” he says. “But I’m not all that great at being warm and fuzzy.”<br /><br />“I hadn’t noticed.”<br /><br />“I think maybe you’re being sarcastic,” he says, exactly the way Ethan would say it, and I laugh.<br /><br />“You need to be proud he’s doing so well,” I say. “It’s all because of you.”<br /><br />“So basically you’re saying I should let my baby bird leave the nest?”<br /><br />“Exactly. Now eat your sub so you can regurgitate it for him when we get back.