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counted ten tiny toes and ten tiny fingers perfect new daughter perfect young father both realizing they needed each other Homemade dress blowing behind her in the breeze playing on the new yellow swing set running to make castles in the sand Daddy covering the driveway’s scratches on her knees with colored bandaids opening his arms after fights with friends and giving his shoulder when she cried his little girl Shiny new jackknife hanging from her belt older girls needed them for day camp and she was older now she was growing up Curling irons, big bangs and tight-rolled jeans the 80’s slipping out of her hands as the 90’s rolled in where she was to become a woman High heeled shoes and brand-new dresses new friends new experiences and dates cars and privileges and the loss of his little girl as her goals became real instead of little girl fantasies and she still came to Daddy knowing he would understand He watched her pack and get ready to leave Taking all those memories along with her; into another new world, one he could not follow her into and the conversations changed into talk of careers and life and what it meant instead of doll houses and school concerts and when your kids grow up it changes and neither one of you understands how and no one can explain but that bond is still there the one the perfect infant knew that the perfect father understood that they needed each other and that a daughter will always love her father Love, Jill - Father’s Day 1997 Back to Main Page |
