HOME | DD

Description
As summer shone upon me, the wind tried distracting me from reading my newspaper, bending the pages over articles I wanted to read. Having lost interest due to this, I folded the paper and searched for my cigarettes, lighting one after a few tries.  While I sat there, I viewed over the park. On a bench a bit further, an old couple just sat there. Looking at nothing, just enjoying the sun and calm. Birds were landing on the grass, and flying up again. The keeper of the park was cleaning the walking paths. He stopped, and leaning on his broom, he looked at a child playing with a dog. He smiled, and then resumed his task. That child, barely six years old, was my daughter, playing with our dog, Barky. It's a bit of a silly name for a dog, but my wife wasn't keen on the first name I had come up with. I'd wanted to call him just 'dog' to avoid clichés, but she had just rolled her eyes, so I had suggested Barky. She had sighed and laughed, called me a silly man, and so our dog got his name.

I sat there, reminiscing on a bench in the park, looking at my daughter and dog. They kept running after each other, giggling and barking. The dog fell, rolled over, and stood up again, waggling his tail. My little girl couldn't stop laughing. Barky licked her in the face, and she cried with joy.  Suddenly I heard the sound of bells tinkling, and turning I saw an ice cream vendor pushing a cart. My daughter had heard it as well, and she whispered something into Barkey's ear. Then both came running towards me. Knowing what would happen, I stood up and reached for my wallet. She'd been a good girl all afternoon, so why not treat her? "This one's on me." A bit scared I turned my head and saw my wife standing next to me. She smiled at me, and I gave her a kiss on her forehead. I told her it was a good idea of her to pay, seeing as I hadn't earned any money that day, being in the park with this little girl and a dog all day. She laughed…

… and suddenly I realize I had been daydreaming. Probably because I'm sitting on the same bench as I was twelve years ago. Birds were still flying around, landing on the grass now and then.  The park was mostly the same. Maybe some trees are older, or replaced, like the keeper walking there, cleaning the paths. He stops, and looks at a young couple sitting on a bench a bit further. The young man with his arm around her shoulders, and the girl leaning her head on his. They kiss shortly, and stand up to say their goodbyes. The girl watches her love walk down the path, and doesn't move until he throw her a hand kiss from afar. I notice how she smiles happily, and then takes the bike I bought her for her eighteenth birthday. I wave at her, and she holds a hand before her blushing face. She walks towards me, passing the park keeper who turns his head when she walks by. Of course he does, she looks just like her mother. And god knows I've turned my head towards her a lot.

"Hello father…" she says and sits next to me, still red on her cheeks.
"I was just thinking, how you used to play here with Barky. You remember that?"
"Vaguely" she replies, "I was barely six years old." A few birds come near our bench, as we sit here, lost in our memories. It seems like only yesterday, when I bought Barkey, a few weeks after her birth. My wife was so happy with him, and we enjoyed watching them grow up together.
"You still think a lot about her, don't you?'
"She was the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved your mother." The sound of tinkling bells interrupts us, and we look aside. An ice cream vendor nearing us. MY daughter stands up and smiles. Even her smile is the same.
"This one's one me, dad."

Description
As summer shone upon me, the wind tried distracting me from reading my newspaper, bending the pages over articles I wanted to read. Having lost interest due to this, I folded the paper and searched for my cigarettes, lighting one after a few tries.  While I sat there, I viewed over the park. On a bench a bit further, an old couple just sat there. Looking at nothing, just enjoying the sun and calm. Birds were landing on the grass, and flying up again. The keeper of the park was cleaning the walking paths. He stopped, and leaning on his broom, he looked at a child playing with a dog. He smiled, and then resumed his task. That child, barely six years old, was my daughter, playing with our dog, Barky. It's a bit of a silly name for a dog, but my wife wasn't keen on the first name I had come up with. I'd wanted to call him just 'dog' to avoid clichés, but she had just rolled her eyes, so I had suggested Barky. She had sighed and laughed, called me a silly man, and so our dog got his name.

I sat there, reminiscing on a bench in the park, looking at my daughter and dog. They kept running after each other, giggling and barking. The dog fell, rolled over, and stood up again, waggling his tail. My little girl couldn't stop laughing. Barky licked her in the face, and she cried with joy.  Suddenly I heard the sound of bells tinkling, and turning I saw an ice cream vendor pushing a cart. My daughter had heard it as well, and she whispered something into Barkey's ear. Then both came running towards me. Knowing what would happen, I stood up and reached for my wallet. She'd been a good girl all afternoon, so why not treat her? "This one's on me." A bit scared I turned my head and saw my wife standing next to me. She smiled at me, and I gave her a kiss on her forehead. I told her it was a good idea of her to pay, seeing as I hadn't earned any money that day, being in the park with this little girl and a dog all day. She laughed…

… and suddenly I realize I had been daydreaming. Probably because I'm sitting on the same bench as I was twelve years ago. Birds were still flying around, landing on the grass now and then.  The park was mostly the same. Maybe some trees are older, or replaced, like the keeper walking there, cleaning the paths. He stops, and looks at a young couple sitting on a bench a bit further. The young man with his arm around her shoulders, and the girl leaning her head on his. They kiss shortly, and stand up to say their goodbyes. The girl watches her love walk down the path, and doesn't move until he throw her a hand kiss from afar. I notice how she smiles happily, and then takes the bike I bought her for her eighteenth birthday. I wave at her, and she holds a hand before her blushing face. She walks towards me, passing the park keeper who turns his head when she walks by. Of course he does, she looks just like her mother. And god knows I've turned my head towards her a lot.

"Hello father…" she says and sits next to me, still red on her cheeks.
"I was just thinking, how you used to play here with Barky. You remember that?"
"Vaguely" she replies, "I was barely six years old." A few birds come near our bench, as we sit here, lost in our memories. It seems like only yesterday, when I bought Barkey, a few weeks after her birth. My wife was so happy with him, and we enjoyed watching them grow up together.
"You still think a lot about her, don't you?'
"She was the best thing that ever happened to me. I loved your mother." The sound of tinkling bells interrupts us, and we look aside. An ice cream vendor nearing us. MY daughter stands up and smiles. Even her smile is the same.
"This one's one me, dad."