The Big Turn

 Out the front window, where the rest of the world was resting peacefully, sat the U-Haul van. It was the magic carpet that brought our son back to us. Again. For the past five and a half years he has been making that trip from San Luis Obispo to Oakland, and back again. Mostly for the purposes of furthering his education and the eventual reception of a degree of higher learning. There were times when all of those trips seemed final. Or futile. There were times when the direction he was headed brought relief, other times dread. The same could be true of his parents, who certainly rode a roller coaster of emotions during the four hour drive that allowed us all to reflect on our feelings.

We were worried, at first, that the change of locale would put a whammy on his homebody sensibilities. Would he be able to ride out all that difference in that first year? Yes. He could. What about the second year, when academic challenges caused him to reflect on his capacity to achieve that ultimate goal. Turns out that he had many of the same issues extricating himself from high school, but his determination and drive were such that he didn't stay stuck for long. He kept on moving. 

Somewhere in there, he got a job. In retail. Which meant that his trips up the coast were curtailed while he pursued the sales goals that he and Best Buy set. And surpassed. His parents were always grateful when he had two full days to spend at his home in Oakland over the holidays, Black Friday excepted. Little by little, we realized that if the Donald wouldn't go to Oakland, Oakland would go to Donald. His parents made that trek down 101 to make the connection they needed. 

Because, as it turned out, so did their son. 

This past August, with a degree in hand and a rebuilt car beneath him, our son drove home. He arrived with great big question marks hanging over him, not the least of which was "For how long?" There was talk of a job in Santa Barbara, so the bulk of his belongings stayed in a storage locker in San Luis Obispo. We spent a couple of months wondering how things might shake out in the big picture while he lived out of a limited version of his stuff. Until it became clear that there was no overnight solution to this new hurdle. As it turns out, getting a job straight out of college is a tough nut to crack even when there isn't a global pandemic going on. 

This week, he and his mom drove down, as they have so many times before together and separately to empty that storage locker and bring it all home. That U-Haul van was full, but not overflowing, and when we finished unloading it into the basement where he had begun to set up shop, our son came home. 

For how long? No one can be sure. He's applying for jobs, he's looking for the next solid step. But for now he and all his stuff have landed back home. Mission accomplished.