“I was supposed to give you everything, dear,” I finally said. “That was my job.”
“I wanted to surprise you today.”
Ainsley came around the table and knelt in front of my chair, placing both hands over mine.
“You did, Dad. Now let me give something back.”
One of the officers near the doorway made a small sound that I’m going to generously describe as clearing his throat.
I looked at my daughter and saw someone I hadn’t fully seen before: not my kid, but a person who had chosen me right back.
I looked at my daughter and saw someone I hadn’t fully seen before.
“What if I fail?” I asked. “I’m 35, Bubbles. I’ll be in class with kids who were born the year I graduated.”
Ainsley smiled, and it was her best one, the full one, the one that looked like her Saturday morning cartoon self. “Then we’ll figure it out,” she said. “The way you always did.”
She squeezed my hands once, then stood up.
The officers said their goodbyes shortly after, the taller one shaking my hand at the door and saying, “Good luck, sir,” in a tone that meant it.
I watched their cruiser pull away from the curb and stood in the doorway for a minute after the taillights disappeared.
“What if I fail?”
***
