In the quiet aftermath of the day, as Susan and I recovered from our Sunday dinner, I did the dishes, ready for the nap that was calling out my name.

But, of course, that was the time my daughter decided to have a heart-to-heart in the kitchen. She lived two hours away, but she occasionally came home for the weekend — just for us to catch up and spend time together.

“Mom,” she said, bringing in the final dirty dishes from the table. “You know I’ve been seeing someone new?”

“Yes!” I said. “What about him?”

I always wanted to know what was going on in Susan’s life — but she was very tight-lipped about her romantic life. My daughter was twenty-four and still believed that oversharing with her mother wasn’t cool.

So, whenever she wanted to talk — I was all ears.

Except, this time, I wasn’t expecting the conversation to take such a turn.

“Jack,” she said, reminding me of his name. “He’s pretty quirky, you know. But I guess I see it like that because of the age difference, maybe.”

My daughter was always dating people who were slightly older than her. I couldn’t figure it out, just that it was entertaining to navigate her mind when she let me into it. I knew that I would step in if she needed me to.

“I was just thinking about this strange habit that he picked up. He only eats the top of muffin because he says that it’s the best part. Like there’s something different about the top versus the bottom. Can you believe that?” she giggled.

The plate I was washing fell from my hands and broke into pieces. Shards flew off the sink and landed on the floor.

I was dumbfounded.

Names are common, sure. But are strange habits common too?

“Mom, what happened?” Susan asked. “Are you okay?”

She picked up the dustpan and began to sweep the remnants of the plate into it.

“Sorry, darling,” I said, feeling winded. “I just got a bit light-headed there.”

“Maybe you should take a nap,” Susan said. “I’ll finish up here.”

I went to my room and lay on the bed. Hearing about Susan’s boyfriend’s habit had thrown me back in time, catapulting me back to those tender years of my late teens and early 20s.

I was instantly reminded of Jack — my Jack — the one love that had profoundly