She really was. [ Pause ] Is. She really is.

[ He's slipping a cigarette out from where it was tucked on the shell of his ear. You didn't see the cig there, mostly because his hair has grown out. Light, puff, exhale, hmmmm. ]

You okay, though? Leaving home isn't easy. I know it was different for me, but... still.

[ Genuine concern. It hadn't been easy for him when his mom was distant, and there was no comparing a distant parent to really, actually leaving. ]