Truth be told, I might be ready for a break from Max’s frequent card trick presentations that I’ve endured over the past couple of weeks. Tonight, he heads off on a red-eye flight with his sister, Chloe, to the east coast for their summer vacation with the grand folks. It’s been very Penn and Teller around here and I’ve grown weary of all the card-trick interruptions. Ever the obliging audience member/mother, I’ve offered many compliments about Max’s card shuffling style and spell-binding flair when revealing the climax moment of his trick. I even went so far as to suggest that he could be one of those snappy card dealers in a Vegas Casino. You know, the ones who shuffle and spread a thick deck of cards as if it were nothing more than a thin sheet of paper being laid onto a desk. My comment, which was served up light heartedly and with affection, was met with a cold and even stare, “Mom,” Max sighed, “I think my aspirations should be a lot higher than that, don’t you?”

What? He’s going to own the casino?