Flying Away

I am about to drive my fifteen year old to Boston Logan Airport to fly out by herself. She is traveling to Texas to see my father who lives there. I am thinking about her body on that plane by herself and wondering if she will feel scared and alone. Although she tells me she is ready to venture off in to the world and I know her well enough to know that she is, I feel sad for her sometimes that I cannot make these trips with her. She asked me on the car ride home if I would be taking her on my own without all the "little kids" and when I answered that I would be "little kidless" she was overjoyed. I felt sad that I didn't have more time with just her. She is growing up so fast and soon she will be wanting to travel longer distances for longer amounts of time. It is hard to imagine her anymore a little girl climbing in to bed with Gary and I to sleep or running through the house with her dolls.
She recently told me her summer reading list which consists of books like "On the Road" and "Naked Lunch", all great books that schooly minded people would consider great literature, good summer reading assignments. She has decided to read them independently just because they are great books. She will not get an assignment from me on the plot or theme of the story, she can relax and bathe in the beauty of poetry on paper. Lately, I have been stealing her books after she is done. I just read "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" which I would argue one the best books ever.
She is traveling to see my father, a man who I did not have a good relationship with growing up. She has wanted to go for some time now so this is no surprise but I still wonder about how it will turn out. I hope that he is good to her and that he can see all the things that I see in her.