The Crush

Jace is in love.

A couple of days ago, we were standing in the kitchen when he walked in, whipped out his phone, and showed me a photo of a beautiful little girl posing for a selfie: Hey, Mom,” he said. “This girl here? She has a crush on me. But I don’t think I like her. I think I like someone else.”

I took the phone from him, raising my eyebrows at this beautiful little face looking back at me with pierced lips and flowing black hair.

“Wow, Jace. She’s beautiful,” I said. “Are you sure you don’t like her? This other girl that you say you like must be remarkable.”

“Yeah, she is,” he said, taking back his phone and walking out of the room.

Yesterday morning, Jace claimed it was time to shop for summer clothes. “I don’t have anything to wear, Mom,” he moaned. “I need a whole new wardrobe. And some cologne.”

As Roy worked until the wee hours of the morning that same night, I told him we would visit Target that evening after school. And so as soon as I got out of work, I dropped by the house, picked up Jace, and headed to Burleson. He chatted the whole way about school and friends and girls. He checked his phone quite a lot as texting has become his new mojo these days. It’s difficult to get him to look up.

“I’m right here, Jace,” is a very common saying that I throw out quite often as of late, taking my hand and circling around my face.

Once we arrived at Target, he headed straight for the clothes. He perused the shorts, throwing a couple of pair in the basket that he liked; then he headed for the t-shirts. Once he was satisfied with his selections (and tried them on after quite a lot of persuading from me), we headed to the self-care section: I need some cologne, Mom, he said.

We checked out all of the different scents that had available there on the shelf and finally Jace settled for Dark Temptation.

That made me take a deep breath.

My 14 year old is wearing Dark Temptation? What??!!

Last night Jace came into the living while I was hanging out by myself, waiting for 9:00 to arrive so that I could head to bed. This isn’t the norm in our lives. Typically Jace stays in his room and chats it up with friends or plays a game…you know, the usual teen boy scene. But I could tell by his contemplative mood that he wanted to talk.

“What’s up, Jace?” I asked as he sat down in a chair and studied the wall rather than his phone.

“Mom, I really like Giselle,” he said with a sigh.

“Aw, Jace,” I said. “Your first crush!”

“Oh no, Mom,” he quickly countered. “This is much more than a crush. I really like her. She’s the kindest person I know.”

“Do you have a picture?” I asked.

He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and brought it over to show me a photo of a young girl dressed modestly and smiling for a photo that actually wasn’t a selfie.. Her entire demeanor oozed kindness and warmth. I knew I would like her.

“She looks precious,” I said.

“Yeah,” Jace nodded. “I know my friends don’t think she’s gorgeous, but she’s gorgeous to me,” he said. “She’s way too good for me.”

Jace and I talked then about what it means to have a crush and the differences in having a crush and being in love. And, of course, I couldn't help but throw in how she isn't too good for him: do what it takes to be good enough for her, I reasoned. (Gotta sneak in those sermons when I can...) He listened intently and then, just before he went to bed, he said, “I can’t imagine what being in love feels like. The way I feel right now? It makes my heart hurt.”

Jace got up at 6:00 this morning and took a long shower, dressed in a brand new outfit, and did his hair just so.

He looked quite dapper, I must say.

And he’s only 14…

It’s going to be a long 4 years.