r, there was no doubt that they welcomed him back warmly, showering him with hugs and kisses on the cheek as soon as he walked through the door. It was almost surreal to see everyone back together again a

a big hug. She pulled back after a few seconds and stared straight into his eyes.

estioned quietly. "We've missed you

words to respond to his innocent little girl. "Sorry, honey," he muttered softly, knowi

ndering why he hadn't vis

eated. "Did you mean 'at s

red. "You haven't been

y. "No, I haven't seen

imed in shock. "You'r

luntarily. The tears continued to roll down his cheeks freely; however, he refused to shed them openly in front of her

baby girl. I'm sorry. Please forgive m

p quivered, and her lower eyelids began to droop as if she was about to cry hersel

ondering why he suddenly started bawling like a baby while holding a tissue in one hand. What could possibly be wrong with him?

iping the remaining tears off of his cheeks with the tip of his index finger. "But the th

for a brief second why they were having this conversation in the first place. Then she remembered, a

ou forgot to buy ti

pretending to laugh at her comment. "Not exactly, sweetie," he responded sarcastically, staring right back at he

surprise and amazement. For a few moments she remained speechless, co

that it is... Are you telling me that you actually forgot about our plans to visit the zoo?! And you waited until the last possible moment to buy the tickets too? Do you know how many people will end

ipped my mind because I got so caught up with work lately... and

rily, clearly upset by his actions. "Is that really how you

st with his daughter from the beginning. "Yeah, pretty m

right then and there. But even though it hurt her deeply to hear him talk in such an unconvincing manner, she decided not to push him anymore; she knew better than to argue with him and risk causing him even more emotional pain than he already had to endure. After all, they had to deal with each other for the rest of their lives... So she

her, leaned forward against the wall behind her, placed her elbows on top of the wooden surface, rested her chin in her palms, closed her eyes momentarily,

hese past three weeks? Were you busy doing something import

some free time on weekends... And I couldn't he

a weight was lifted off of her chest, and she no longer felt guilty about his l

distance as she thought about what was coming

's t

could give you a p

unable to control his laughter

. "Mom's the least violent pe

ruly want..." He paused briefly, glancing over at Maya for approval. "Wouldn't you like that, my de

t her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment. It seemed as if she wasn't quite ready to accept her new role yet. However, he quickly realized that it would take some time before he was able to convince her...

ked politely, not wanting to waste any more time discussing his job or her mother's lack

es for them and set the plate back down on the table in front of her. Then he picked up the phone receiver, dialed a

kay, I'll bring the car around late

expectation of hearing the sound of the car door closing outside. There was nothing left for him to do e

ith delight, and she stood up excitedly from the table, grabbed one slice

Daddy! The c

g funny... Such as pushing her into the backseat where her mother had once threatened to drive him over a cliff. Even though he assured her numerous times in recent days that there was no way that he could possibl

as he hugged her tight. "We're final

b inside. She remained standing behind the vehicle, watching her father curiously as he got behind the steering wheel, buckled himself in, started the engine, put the car into r

ng side of it. They walked towards the exit gate, crossed the parking lot, and climbed aboard the train station escalator, heading down to the underground concourse. O

e stared intently at the moving

continued their journey down the escalat

nswered, "we'v