As usual, Maya was quite cheerful when I was saying goodbye to the children this evening, but Dorian followed me to the door. Understanding full well that we will not see each other for close to three weeks, while he and Maya will be visiting California with their mother, he was close to tears. “Bye, Dad,” he repeated three or four times while clinging to me. He could not think of anything else to say. “See you soon,” I kept repeating in as merry a tone as I could muster while gently attempting to loosen his hold. He stared intently into my eyes until the last second. In the end, he managed to hold his tears, though. Dorian is gradually becoming a bit more than a mere boy.