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I glanced over at Ramsey, who had a bit of a strange look on his face. He cleared his throat and took a drink.
I turned my attention back to the little girl who seemed to be warming up to me a little more. “So, Lily, tell me about yourself. What do you like to do for fun?”
Lily’s face lit up, her excitement evident. “I love drawing and painting. I like to read. Sometimes I like to do science experiments. I like to dance but Dad says I’m not committed.”
Ramsey choked on his drink. “Where did you hear that?”
“You told Aunt Izzy dance is a commitment and I’m not committed,” she said, repeating words I was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to overhear.
“What kind of dance?” I asked her.
“Ballet,” Lily answered. “I wanted to do hip-hop, too, but that would mean every day I had to go to dance class.”
I nodded, understanding what Ramsey meant when he said she wasn’t committed. “I had a friend who did ballet for a long time when we were young. She spent hours every single day in the studio. She loved it, but one day, she was done. She was in high school, I think fifteen, maybe sixteen, and she decided she didn’t want to dance anymore. It’s a lot of work, and like your dad said, it’s a big commitment.”
“Your friend doesn’t like to dance?” Lily asked.
“She likes it,” I answered. “Maybe even loves it, but she isn’t passionate about it.”
“What does that mean?”
I used the wrong word. “What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?”
Lily looked thoughtful. “Breakfast. School. And what we’re going to do in science.”
“Ah, I think you might be passionate about science,” I said. “For now. You’re young. You can be passionate about science today and tomorrow you might be passionate about dance again.”
“Lily is passionate about many things,” Ramsey said. “You’ll find your thing one day,” he assured his daughter. “Life is about learning.”
“What else do you enjoy?” I asked Lily.
Lily pondered for a moment before answering. “I love going to the park and playing on the swings. And sometimes, I pretend to be an explorer, searching for hidden treasures.”
I nodded and smiled. “Oh, I love outdoor adventures! We can explore the park together and maybe even create our own treasure hunt. Have you ever heard of geocaching?”
“What?” Lily asked with confusion.
“What is that?” Ramsey asked.
I laughed, feeling a bit like a nerd. “There is this app you can get on your phone or sites you can visit. People hide little treasures and then other people look for them.”
“Treasure?” Lily asked with her eyes wide.
“Usually, it’s just silly stuff,” I said. “It might be a painted rock or a picture. It’s the thrill of hunting for it and following the clues.”
“Is this something you’ve done?” Ramsey asked.
I wasn’t going to tell him when you were homeless, bored, and broke, that as a joke, you had to find ways to entertain yourself that didn’t cost money. “I have. I haven’t been on a good hunt in a while, but I enjoyed doing it for a couple of years. It gets you out of the house.”
“I want to do it,” Lily declared.
“It really is fun,” I said.
Lily seemed to relax the more we talked. I noticed she looked to her dad frequently, like she needed his reassurance. She was a smart girl, but I sensed a sadness about her. It made me wonder if it had something to do with the mother that had yet to be mentioned. I wasn’t about to bring it up. I knew what it was like to have a mom you didn’t want to talk about.
After they finished their meals, Ramsey looked at me with confusion. “If you were our waitress, am I supposed to tip you directly?”
I laughed. “No. It’s not necessary.”
