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“Can I touch that?” Kirby points to a test tube filled with bright green liquid.
She may be wearing small white linen gloves supplied by Carrie’s boss, but she’s still hesitant.
Carrie called me this morning to reassure me that she was setting up what she called a ‘practice lab’ for Kirby. Every brightly hued concoction within my daughter’s reach is simply colored water.
Kirby squealed when Carrie led her into the lab with me in tow.
That’s when she presented her with a small lab coat and the gloves. Carrie made sure to tell Kirby that the coat and gloves were gifts from her boss. Telford chimed in that the lanyard around Kirby’s name and the one I’m sporting are security requirements, and for the time that Kirby is in the building, she’s a chemist in training.
“You can touch it,” Carrie says, demonstrating by carefully lifting the test tube from a holder before offering it to Kirby.
Kirby takes it gently, bringing it closer to her face.
She’s wearing the red plastic glasses frames. That brought a smile to the faces of the company’s CEO, Nolan Black, and the COO, Crew Benton. We met both men in the building’s lobby when we arrived fifteen minutes ago.
“I think I would be a good chemist,” she says assuredly, offering the test tube back to Carrie. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re a natural.” Carrie reaches for a small vial on a shelf out of Kirby’s reach. “Telford and I worked on this earlier today just for you.”
Kirby glances at me. I instantly recognize the expression on her face. She’s close to tears. I take a few steps closer so she knows I’m right beside her.
“What is it?” she asks, her tiny voice trembling.
“It’s called Kirby,” Carrie smiles, a light laugh escaping her. “It’s a scent that we made just for you.”
Her hands take it from Carrie. Cradling it in the air, she studies a small label on the side of it. From where I’m standing, all I can make out are block letters spelling out her first name.
She carefully unscrews the cap before she dips her nose close to the roller ball.
“This smells like sunshine,” she whispers. “It smells like lemons, grass, and blueberries when we buy them in the summer.”
Jesus. What an incredible gift.
I can’t look at Carrie because I know my eyes will betray me. If I held any doubt that I was falling in love with her, it’s been stripped away.
“Carrie is giving me too much credit,” Telford says from where he’s been sitting on a chair next to a desk a few feet from where Carrie and Kirby are. “She created the scent. I just made the label.”
“Thank you both,” Kirby’s voice cracks.
I glance up to see her smiling up at Carrie. The adoration in her eyes is apparent, and the tenderness in Carrie’s expression as she stares down at my daughter is unmistakable.
I don’t want two more nights with her. I want every night for the rest of my life.
“Can I roll it on my wrist?” Kirby asks. “Should I take off the gloves to do that? Is it safe, Carrie?”
“It’s very safe.” She demonstrates by removing her gloves. “Everything in your scent is organic and comes from natural things like plants and fruit.”
Kirby carefully applies the fragrance to her wrist before she brings that to her nose to take a whiff. “This is so nice. I love it.”
“Good.” Carrie skims a hand over Kirby’s shoulder. “I’m glad you love it.”
“Here, Daddy.” Kirby rushes toward me with her arm extended. “Smell it.”
I crouch before she reaches me. Taking her small hand in mine, I bring it to my nose and inhale. The scent is subtle, and refreshing, but there are definitely notes of summer in it.
“Don’t you love it, too, Daddy?” she asks me. “Isn’t Carrie the best?”
Nodding, I glance at the woman who made my daughter the happiest girl on earth. “Carrie is the best. She’s the absolute best.”
