“My legs are sore.” she said.
“I know, but we gotta keep moving; it’s cold out.” he said.
“I know, I know.” she muttered.
“Want me to carry you? ” he asked.
She smiled and hopped on his back, holding him tightly to stay warm.
“Can we eat today?” she asked him.
“No, not today,” he said, “but I promise we will tomorrow”.
“Where are we going now?” she asked.
“To the park.” he replied.
“Oh ok.” she mumbled while falling asleep.
For the next 10 minutes, they made their way through the city blocks to the park they often went to. The girl woke up a few steps before entering the park.
“Do you want to learn to fly?” he asked.
“How?” she asked with a puzzled face.
“Stick your arms out.” he told her,”I’ll show you.”
“And then?” she asked.
He slowly began to pick up the pace.
“You have to help me.” he told her,”Flap your arms.”
Her arms moved up and down. She tried as hard as she could to place distance between her and the ground.
“Close your eyes, too.” he told her.
He looked up to see her eyes slowly close. Gaining speed, he began to run through the open park with his girl on his back.
“Weeeeeee!” she squealed, “Daddy, it feels like I’m flying!”
He looked up at her face and saw her eyes tightly shut, her cute little stubby nose, and a huge smile spanning across her face.
“Hey, sweetie, daddy needs to take a break.” he said, “Time to land.”
“Okay, daddy.” she said a little disappointed.
“Here, I’m going to let you down on the bench over there.” he said.
He set her down and pulled his coat off.
After wrapping it tightly around her, he told her, “Go to sleep.”
Sitting down next to her, he pulls her close with his arms wrapped around her. She soon feel asleep in a silent slumber. Putting his head back, he looked up at the sky and let his body rest.
“I hope I can do this for her a little longer.” he said to himself, “Even for another year.”
