It Was Only Yesterday
The church bells rang in my ears as I collect my daughter, Ginny, from her limousine. The car sped off as I took her hand. Her blue eyes surveyed my expression carefully. I tried to look relaxed, but on the inside, nerves and uncertainty overcame me. I grabbed a loose strand of her red hair and tucked it behind her ear. Perfect.
As we walked up the stairs to the marble building, she gave me a confident smile. I tried to return it, but she could see that my smile wavered. I could see that Ginny was doing her best to ignore my hesitance.
As we watched the bridesmaids walk up the aisle, Ginny felt the need to speak up. "Daddy?"
"Yes, Princess?" I whispered back.
"Are you happy?"
I immediately replied. "Of course I'm happy. What makes you happy makes me happy."
"All right then." Ginny said. It was evident that she didn't believe me.
I kissed her on the forehead. "I am happy." I gave her a smile and I could tell that she trusted me now.
Suddenly, the music changed and the bridal marched began to play. We walked gracefully down the aisle. We were walking slowly, which allowed me to collect my thoughts.
I wondered whether all fathers felt this way. I loved Ginny and I knew that I had raised her to be a responsible adult, but she was only twenty-one and I wasn't sure whether she was rushing herself into marriage or not. Harry, her husband-to-be, was a perfectly nice man and every time I had met him, he seemed exactly the kind of man I always wanted Ginny to marry. My only concern was that he was practically a child too – only one year older – and I wasn't sure that the two of them understood married life.
It didn't seem that long ago that I was marrying Molly. I remembered feeling so lucky that she had chosen me and seeing her father's hesitant expression as he walked her down the aisle towards me. But when they had walked up to me, he placed her hand into mine, with an air of confidence about him.
That was what I needed to do. How could I doubt my own daughter? I knew that she had grown up a responsible and caring young lady. She was ready to face the world in front of her.
I, too, was very young when I married and I feared for her to make the same mistakes as I did, but I felt that she had reached an emotional maturity that I had not when I was married. Ginny was clever enough to be rational, while still allowing for spontaneity in her life. She was completely prepared for married life. I knew it now.
It was only yesterday that I was holding baby Ginny in my arms. Now it was time to let her go.