~~
He was startled out of his reverie by the feeling of hands on his shoulders; he turned to find his daughter's mother standing behind him. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Hey, what'cha thinking about?" she asked, moving to a chair beside him.
"Not much, just memories."
"Mmm, any good ones?"
"Some. But others…"
"I know." She reached over and put a hand on his wrist, then moved it up to his hand that held the stuffed donkey.
"I remember the day I came back, and she showed me this. Her favorite, my favorite." She took the donkey out of his hands, hugging it close and breathing in the scent of their daughter's light peach perfume. "God, I can't believe I was stupid enough to leave her behind for so long." She whispered.
"You weren't stupid, in fact I may have been one of the smartest moves you made. Who knows what life may be like if you hadn't left her in my doorway. I know my life would be different."
"How so?" he looked away, stared out the window on his other side.
"Well, if you hadn't dropped her in my doorway, I never would have been a daddy, never shared my life with anyone, I probably would have died from heart break because of loosing you. After that day, I was so busy caring for her that I didn't think of you every moment of every day. Those ten months, I dreamt about you, I thought I saw you walking through the apartment, down the sidewalk. I saw you riding your bike in the street, everywhere I went, so often that I thought I would go crazy. And I almost did. The night I looked into that baby's eyes and saw you, I knew everything would be alright." When he looked back to her, he noticed there were tears in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away. "Then you came back, and we were the family we were meant to be. Everything was perfect," his voice dropped, so low, only one with enhanced hearing such as her own could catch his last words, "So I asked you the ultimate question…"
"And I ran away. I was so stupid."
"No, It wasn't stupid, it was you. It's the way you are, if things get to intense, you take off to think about it. It's the way you always have been; it's the way you always will be. And I love you for it. Both our daughter and I love you for it." She was crying again, although this time she didn't try to hide it.
"I should have accepted. But it's to late now." She whispered, burying her face in the stuffed donkey again.
"No, it's not to late. I asked you seven years ago; I'm asking you again. Marry me. Make my, OUR life complete."
~~
He was startled out of his reverie by the feeling of hands on his shoulders; he turned to find his daughter's mother standing behind him. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
"Hey, what'cha thinking about?" she asked, moving to a chair beside him.
"Not much, just memories."
"Mmm, any good ones?"
"Some. But others…"
"I know." She reached over and put a hand on his wrist, then moved it up to his hand that held the stuffed donkey.
"I remember the day I came back, and she showed me this. Her favorite, my favorite." She took the donkey out of his hands, hugging it close and breathing in the scent of their daughter's light peach perfume. "God, I can't believe I was stupid enough to leave her behind for so long." She whispered.
"You weren't stupid, in fact I may have been one of the smartest moves you made. Who knows what life may be like if you hadn't left her in my doorway. I know my life would be different."
"How so?" he looked away, stared out the window on his other side.
"Well, if you hadn't dropped her in my doorway, I never would have been a daddy, never shared my life with anyone, I probably would have died from heart break because of loosing you. After that day, I was so busy caring for her that I didn't think of you every moment of every day. Those ten months, I dreamt about you, I thought I saw you walking through the apartment, down the sidewalk. I saw you riding your bike in the street, everywhere I went, so often that I thought I would go crazy. And I almost did. The night I looked into that baby's eyes and saw you, I knew everything would be alright." When he looked back to her, he noticed there were tears in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away. "Then you came back, and we were the family we were meant to be. Everything was perfect," his voice dropped, so low, only one with enhanced hearing such as her own could catch his last words, "So I asked you the ultimate question…"
"And I ran away. I was so stupid."
"No, It wasn't stupid, it was you. It's the way you are, if things get to intense, you take off to think about it. It's the way you always have been; it's the way you always will be. And I love you for it. Both our daughter and I love you for it." She was crying again, although this time she didn't try to hide it.
"I should have accepted. But it's to late now." She whispered, burying her face in the stuffed donkey again.
"No, it's not to late. I asked you seven years ago; I'm asking you again. Marry me. Make my, OUR life complete."
~~