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Callie’s eyes widened, and her beautiful face melted into a warm smile as she peered around her box at Marie.
“Marie! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?”
“We’re going to the park!” Marie declared, and then she looked at me. “Look, Daddy, it’s Callie!”
“I can see that, yes,” I laughed. When Callie lifted her head and our eyes locked, my heart skipped another beat, and my own smile softened.
“Hey, stranger.”
“Hey.” Pink dusted her cheeks and she shifted her stance.
“Special occasion?” I glanced at the box while holding my hand out for Marie, who took it and gripped tightly.
“Sort of.” Callie puffed air upward, trying to remove a few strands of hair from her face. When those strands fell back in place, irritation bled into her smile. So, I reached across and delicately tucked those strands behind her ear.
Callie’s blush deepened.
“Care to share?”
“It’s my mother’s birthday tomorrow,” Callie explained. “And she’s having a good run, y’know? She knows who I am, so this is the first birthday in a few years where we’ll get to spend it together but the facility she’s at?” Callie shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t want to bore you.”
“I want to know,” I said firmly. “Walk with us.”
It was more of an order than a request, and there was something satisfying about Callie automatically falling into step beside me.
“I’m sorry. The facility she’s at just hasn’t been clear on what is and isn’t allowed. On one hand, they’re great because she’s doing so well, and they give me daily updates. But on the other hand, trying to get answers about how much we’re allowed to celebrate is like pulling teeth.”
I nodded along, keeping one eye on Marie as I led the way to the park.
“I know they do great things and their job must be so hard, I just wish it was easier for the family of patients to understand exactly how our parents are being taken care of and how to spend time with them without filling out eight forms and hoping.”
“God,” I muttered, my heart going out to her. “I’m sorry. That sounds like much more stress than it should be.”
“You’ve no idea,” Callie groaned and her face fell slightly.
As I took a breath to offer more comfort, Marie got there before me.
“Come to the park! It always makes me feel better!”
While Marie wouldn’t understand most of what Callie said, she was smart enough to see the pain and my heart warmed at just how perceptive my daughter was.
“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt,” Callie said bashfully.
“We insist.” I smiled. “It’ll be fun.”
——
Seated on a wooden bench with Callie by my side and her boxed cake between us, I kept one eye on Marie as she tackled the climbing frame.
“Marie is adorable,” Callie said, her attention on Marie also.
“Isn’t she? I’m still getting to know her but everything I learn is so mind blowing. How can so much smartness exist in someone so small and young?”
“Children are observant,” Callie chuckled. “Though sometimes that can be a bad thing.”
“Tell me about it,” I agreed, casting my thoughts back to when Marie had just come out and asked about staying in the city. I couldn’t complain though. She was raised so well.
“Is it strange?” Callie’s attention shifted to me. “Knowing you missed so much of her life?”
