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Her eyes bright and her hair in a tangled mess, she immediately hurtled across the room like a tiny little space shuttle.
"Daddy, Daddy, let's play 'the floor is lava'!" she exclaimed, her little hands gripping my arm.
I smiled and stood up, ready to play along.
I'd played this game countless times before, but with Sally, it was always different. She had a wild imagination and was constantly coming up with new challenges for me to complete.
"Okay, Sally, let's do this," I said, hoping it wouldn’t be like the last time. I’d fallen from a table trying to be too heroic and landed right on my nose. Way to embarrass myself in front of my daughter.
We both jumped off the couch and onto the carpet, which was now the "safe zone."
Sally pointed to the armchair across the room. "Okay, Daddy, your first challenge is to jump onto that chair without touching the floor!"
I looked at the armchair doubtfully. It was across the room, and I wasn't sure I could make the jump. But then I looked at Sally's face, full of excitement and anticipation, and I knew I had to try.
Taking a deep breath, I sprinted toward the armchair. I launched myself off the ground and soared through the air, my arms flailing wildly.
There was a moment of weightlessness before my feet landed on the armchair, nearly touching the floor. I let out a triumphant shout, and Sally clapped her hands in delight. "Yay, Daddy! You did it!"
Feeling a surge of adrenaline, I turned to face Sally. "Okay, your turn now," I said, pointing to the coffee table on the other side of the room. "Jump onto that without touching the floor."
Sally's eyes widened. "But Daddy, that's too far! I can't do it!"
I knelt down and looked into her eyes. "Of course you can, Sally. You're strong and brave, just like a superhero. You can do anything you set your mind to."
Sally took a deep breath and nodded determinedly. She sprinted toward the coffee table and leapt into the air, her arms outstretched.
I held my breath as she flew through the air, her feet barely missing the floor. She landed on the coffee table with a thump, and I let out a cheer. "You did it, Sally! You're amazing!"
We continued playing like this for what felt like hours, with Sally coming up with increasingly difficult challenges for me to complete.
I jumped from the armchair to the windowsill, crawled across the couch on my hands and knees, and even swung from the chandelier like Tarzan.
The things you’d do to keep up with your child!
Wouldn’t change it for the world, though. Hell, I’d play this damned game twenty-four hours, seven days a week if it meant keeping my Sal happy.
Each time, I felt a twinge of fear and doubt, but I pushed through it because I couldn't bear to let my daughter down.
I wanted her to know that she could rely on me to be there for her, to support her, and to encourage her to be brave and adventurous.
The game came to an end with Sally jumping into my arms and declaring me the winner. I felt a sense of warmth and joy spread through my body.
Playing with my daughter was always a reminder of what was truly important in life—family, love, and the simple pleasures of childhood.
I hugged Sally tightly and whispered in her ear, "I love you so much, little one. You make me so proud every day."
Sally smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling. "I love you too, Daddy. You're my hero."
The way she said it brought a lone tear to my eye. I could have been a better hero. I could have saved June if I’d only told her to stay back and not venture out into that damned storm.
But Em had needed her, and for June, duty was everything. She didn’t put us second, but she knew I could hold the fort down.
Life had been a long adventure with her.
And now, it seemed like things were finally turning around. I tied Sally’s hair into two pigtails, marveling at how silky and gloriously brown it was.
She would do so well if she had a mother figure around her. Someone who could show her the other parts of life that I couldn’t.
