‘Getting =
late for a meeting, need to run’, he said, as he slung his coat =
over the shoulder, and bounded out of the house. As he drove away, she =
came running down the stairs two at a time. ‘Wait, wait’, =
she said, but he had already left.
Her mouth =
crumpled like used wrapping paper. ‘He forgot to give me a goodbye =
kiss’, she whispered in a voice that trembled under the weight of =
her hurt.
She called his =
cell, ‘You left without giving me a kiss’, she said =
accusingly.
‘I am =
sorry sweetheart’, he said, his voice contrite. =
‘It is =
okay’, she said, trying to be all grown up as she cut the =
call.
She gulped =
down her breakfast morosely, slipped on her shoes, picked up her school =
bag and started to walk out of the door, her shoulders slumped. As she =
climbed down the steps, the car glided to a stop outside the house. He =
got out of the car. She ran to him, her whole face lit up like a =
Christmas tree.
‘I am =
sorry I forgot’, he said, as he picked her up and hugged her. She =
said nothing. Her jaw ached from smiling.
Fifteen years =
later, no one would remember he was late for a meeting, but a little =
girl would never ever forget that her father drove all the way back home =
just to kiss her goodbye.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] =
www.grif.net =
"Jesus =
Knows Me, This I Love!"