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“No,” I confess.
I thought the shells were just part of the decoration in the park, some eco-friendly art project. I didn’t think a little girl would fit in there, much less go in there, but it seems Maisie did.
“I remembered that once when Maisie and I drove by the playground after I picked her up from daycare, I saw those shells and remarked that they looked like a mermaid castle,” Cathy says. “When I saw them now, I immediately remembered that the last story I read to Maisie was ‘The Little Mermaid’. I looked just in case she might be there, and there she was.”
I look at Maisie and touch her cheek. “Were you in there the whole time? Didn’t you hear me calling your name? I was so worried.”
Maisie looks away without answering me.
“She seemed upset,” Cathy tells me. “Or maybe she just didn’t come out because she was pretending that she was a mermaid and you were a shark.”
I have a feeling, though, that she was hiding from me because I yelled at her. I didn’t mean to, but I must have because it was noisy. And then, even though she must have heard me calling, she must have ignored me because she was mad at me for sending her away.
I wrap my arms tightly around Maisie once more. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to yell at you or send you away. I promise it won’t happen again.”
“Mm-hmm,” I hear her answer.
I look into her eyes. “Do you forgive me? Do you forgive Daddy?”
Maisie nods. “I’m sorry, too, Daddy.”
I brush her hair away as I give her a sweet smile. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
This time, she wraps her arms around my neck. I give her a squeeze as I whisper in her ear.
“I promise I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”
Maisie chuckles. “That’s impossible, Daddy.”
I, too, laugh. “You’re right. It’s impossible.”
I touch her cheek.
“But I promise I’ll take better care of you. I’ll never let you get lost again.”
She shrugs. “I wasn’t lost.”
I don’t argue with her. I just plant a kiss on her forehead, then look at Cathy.
“Let’s go home.”
~
“She must be exhausted after that little… adventure,” Cathy says as I pull the covers up to Maisie’s chin.
Already, she’s sound asleep. Her eyelids flutter. It’s hard to believe that just minutes ago, she was singing at the top of her lungs in the car, having cheered up after we all went for ice cream.
I look at Maisie’s peaceful face and smile. I’m just glad that she’s back in her bed, that she’s safe.
I’m going to make sure she stays that way.
I plant a kiss on her forehead before turning off the bedside lamp so that the spinning nightlight in the corner is all that illuminates the room. I walk quietly to the doorway where Cathy is waiting. I step out of the room and she closes the door behind her. The knob gives a soft click as she lets it go.
“Do you think she’ll be alright?” I ask Cathy as we walk down the hall.
She nods. “She was already alright after those two ice cream cones.”
I grin.
“Children are lucky,” Cathy adds. “They get over their worries easily. Besides, I don’t think Maisie was that worried. She was safe in that shell, in her own world. It’s strange, isn’t it? When you’re a child, imagination keeps you safe and happy. I guess that’s what innocence means. When you grow up, imagination only causes fear and anxiety.”
“I’m just glad she’s safe,” I say. “I don’t know what I would have done if anything happened to her.”
She shakes her head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Betty thinks so. She had a lot of bad things to say about my… capabilities as a father. If I hadn’t hung up, I’m sure I would have heard more.”
“Doesn’t she always have bad things to say?”
“But this time, she’s not entirely wrong,” I answer. “I did fail to watch Maisie. She was right beside me and I sent her away. I was careless and irresponsible.”
“You didn’t send Maisie away,” Cathy points out. “You told her to go and play. Most parents do that.”
“Well, most parents don’t take their eyes off their kids. I did.”
“That’s not true and you know it. Parents are humans, too. They make mistakes. They’re allowed to. It’s not a crime.”
I shake my head. “And what if someone else had found Maisie? What if she got hurt? Would it still not be a crime?”
Cathy sighs. “And here I thought adults were supposed to wipe the milk off the floor.”
I throw her a puzzled look. “What?”
“Maisie is safe, okay?” Cathy tells me. “That’s what matters most here. As for what you did or didn’t do, it’s done. If you insist you’ve done something wrong, fine. But it’s done. There’s no use sulking over it. All you can do is be more careful next time. That’s what grown-ups do, right? Admit their mistakes and learn from them.”
