Poerty and hard decisions

My apologies for that diversion. Viareggio does this to me. :)

I'm leaving in the morning to spend two days of solitary time in Florence. Leaving my nephew to discover Italy and Viareggio on his own. Well, not completely on his own.... a college student from Vermont, whom we met in Dublin and is on a long summer tour of Europe himself, has joined us here. Nice guy. They will do their discovering together. Florence is only 90 minutes away by train, and they run nearly every half hour all day and into the evening, so I'm gone, but not far. But far enough.

I will admit that leaving Zach here is one of the harder things I will do on this trip. It's also vital. Over the past two weeks, I've given him the space to make his own decisions, take responsibility for his choices, and manage the consequences as an adult. That - after all - was part of the point of this exercise. And that, I can tell you, has given me me a couple of nail-biter moments. The stories are his to tell. He has shown himself to be a thoughtful, intelligent young man with the heart of a mercenary. He is a charmer who wields it like a weapon. He is also polite, considerate, and thoughtful. He's a son to be proud of and a promising young man.

For all he's definitely 18, he's also definitely ready for this.

Leaving him to discover a new place is the final "exam", if you will. He can do this. I have no doubts. Worries, yes. Doubts, no. However, I can tell that I will probably worry too much over the next two days. It's my nature. Sometimes I'm so maternal I could nurse.

However - it's important that Zach know that he is trusted, and is seen to be trustWORTHY. I doubt his parents could do this without coming unglued - which is why it falls to me. Goodie. However, when you know you are trusted, you accept the responsibility for that trust. You can't do this by half measures. All in, or all out.

We have a deal, Zach and I. He promises to not make me a) pick him up at a police station or b) pick him up at a hospital - and I promise to get out of his way. Equitable.

I will enjoy Florence. When Timm and I were there three years ago, 4 days wasn't nearly enough and I look forward to finally crossing the Ponte Vecchio and seeing what's on the other side of the Arno River.

And resisting the temptation to text Zach every five minutes.

He will be fine, and he will return from this trip not a child, but a young adult.

And I will need a Vallium.