It was a cool July evening with a light breeze. Joe was wandering around a small shopping centre, browsing through the various items on the shelves, when he came across a display of discount DVDs. One caught his eye; a princess movie. He thought Katrina might like it, and hey, he had been struggling to find her a gift for her fourth birthday, which he still couldn't believe was tomorrow. He grinned; she would love this! So he picked it up and brought it to the counter.
"You got young kids, eh?" The man at the register said when he saw the DVD cover.
"Oui," said Joe with a slight shrug. "Demain c'est le quatrième anniversaire de ma fille, et ceci c'est un cadeau pour elle." (Tomorrow is my daughter's fourth birthday, and this is a present for her.)
"Yeah, we've had this one for, what, six years now? It's kinda old, but it still works in mint condition." The man rang him up and sent him on his way. "Enjoy your flick."
The next evening, after the family had been over for cake and some games, Joe sat Katrina down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch the movie. "Ceci c'est mon cadeau," he said to her. (This is my present.) He got the DVD set up and pressed the play button.
Joe could tell Katrina was loving the princesses and their dance, but he was surprised to find himself getting invested in the story as well. He truly felt sorry for the princesses when they were suppressed from dancing.
"Daddy, it's magic!" Katrina cooed. She was loving this movie!
About halfway through the movie, things started to get rather sad. The princesses' father had become ill, and the new kingdom rules forbade them from singing his favourite song for him. The idea of it sent chills down Joe's spine; he never wanted to be in a position where Katrina couldn't share such a tender moment with him in his darkest hours. He absentmindedly held Katrina a little closer.
"Daddy, are they gonna make it?" Katrina looked up at her father when the princesses went off to find the cure for their father.
"Oui," he said, watching intensely, "elles besoin de." (Yes, they have to.)
He felt his heart surge when they finally got the cure to their father, and soon, the tension melted away when it worked just as planned. He cuddled Katrina on his lap as the final scene ended and the credits began to roll, a hot, gentle tear rolling down his cheek. "Aimes-tu le film, ma belle?" (Did you like the movie, darling?)
"Uh huh," said Katrina sleepily. "Why are you crying?"
Joe caught himself, and wiped his eyes. "J'ai vraiment aimé le film." (I really liked the movie.) Noticing how late it was getting, he brought his daughter upstairs for bedtime. He tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. "Bonne nuit, ma belle."
"I'll be my best person," said Katrina as she nodded off, mimicking the movie, which Joe found simply adorable.
If you want a good idea of the movie, imagine Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses mixed with Delicious: Emily's Hopes and Fears.
