" I love you too "

There is a gap between when we say goodbye and she says "I love you." At times, i try to get into the gap quickly and say it first to her, and I have been doing it. I have been pretty good about beating her. But sometimes, I am lazy though and I wait for her to say it first. Then I reply "I love you too, mom." Sometimes I think we should just split it equally so that I say it first on some days, and sometimes she says it first--how absurd does that sound? And there are times that I delay and delay and she doesn't say it either because she probably expects me to say it, then all of a sudden, you hear a click...and the phone hangs up, without having said it at all.

It's a very complicated matter, you know.