Little darling of mine. It is a beautiful Summer afternoon, the kind a mother prays for. There was an elevated energy in the air, Just the night before we sat in an electrical storm watching the clouds form, the wind shift and a show of lights that would rival the coming of Thor. Today, it is sunny and warm, joining us again, is Dano. He is sitting tall in the back seat taking in his Grandmother and Aunties chatter. He is sweet and loving possessing the boyish charm of his Grandfather. We are following the highway and wherever it takes us. We end up at Lake Mead and are amazed at this oasis in the desert. My daughter saddened by the receding water line. I try to ignore this talk of global warming, my daughters concern for generations to come. I want to play and forget. Not be challenged with regret and reality. I want silly and flirtatious. What I really want is to be a Mother with answers and just be able to fix it. So I listen, for every child just wants that, so I oblige. My Grandson speaks, he is our scientist, our child prodigy who studies to be at NASA. He speaks, we listen. His words flow as is if  music were guiding his thoughts. Dinosaurs, Volcanos and the world  once covered in water. The depth of this enormous lake and the variations of light and dark water, then he speaks of the Pomo creation story, I smile, for it was I who taught him that. A scientist with a spiritual belief of his culture.  Balanced in both worlds.  I turn to look deeper into the soul of  this man-cub, and there it is. He instantly has morphed into a teenage boy. I hear an echo in my head, shouting NO. I can’t stop this anymore than I could stop the world from turning. I slip back into the safety of my bucket seat and know the course of a lifetime runs over and over again. Although, unlike Paul Simon’s words. I will give you hope, unmasked. For the mother and child reunion is only a moment away.