“You sat me on the tree like you didn’t want to hold me suspended and take me that way.”
“Oh, I’m going to take you that way too, but first I wanted to sit you on this branch so I could face you and taste your sticky sweetness. Notice how I walked past all those fallen coconuts without even thinking of drinking from those. I wanted my own special drink, my own fountain of youth, my own personal elixir. And only you can give that to me.”
“Promise?”
I grab her off the branch and lift her in the air with one hand, like a mixed gymnast exhibition, or some sort of cheerleading stunt, before tossing her up in a spin and catching her in my arms as she comes back down, right where she belongs.
“Wheee, Daddy! That was fun.”
“You like Daddy’s rides?”
“I love them. Does Daddy have any other rides for me?”
“Oh, Daddy’s got a ride for you all right.” My swim trunks stretch to contain my length, and I consider writing a letter into the manufacturer about their new supposedly revolutionary stretch material. Maybe it was meant to stretch if you’re a surfer, but not if you’re a hung Daddy. Or just a man who’s obsessed with his wife as I am.
“How much does it cost to ride?”
“You can’t pay to ride this ride?” I say.
Emma crosses her arms and sticks out her lower lip.
“It’s reserved for one little girl in the whole wide world, and one girl only.”
“Who’s that, Daddy?”
“Why you, princess.”
Her eyes light up and it means everything to me. That’s what I live for, and have since the day I met her. It sounds like a Hallmark card, and it probably is, but it’s true…life isn’t about the breaths you take, it’s about the breaths you take away. And she still takes mine away without even trying.
Just like our children and the little things they discover each and every day, reminding me what it’s like to view the world through a child’s eyes each and every day. I may have missed my own childhood, but I sure am making up for it in spades with our three little crumb crunchers.
“Ready to ride, angel?”
“Ready, Daddy. But where does this ride go?”
“Exactly where you’d expect an angel to go…straight to heaven, which is why Daddy’s been on cloud nine ever since he laid eyes on you.”
“I love you, Daddy,” she says as she gets in position.
“I love you, angel,” I say, locking eyes with her. “Now hold on to Daddy tight,” I say making sure her hands are clasped firmly behind my neck. “We’re going to play two games at once. Hold On, because you know how Daddy loses control with his little girl. And also Quite Please, because we don’t want anyone else to hear.”
“Okay, Daddy, but when you give me your special ride please remember I have a hard time riding it all and I usually scream.”
“Do your best, little one. That’s all Daddy ever asks of you.”
“Yes, Daddy. I’ll try my best.”
“Atta girl. Your best will always mean everything to me, and I promise you’ll always get the best of me. Forever.”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Thank you, Precious.”
THE END