I am all excited because my daddy’s coming to visit me today.  I love Sunday afternoon’s because that is the afternoon I get to spend with my dad.  When I hear the ring of the doorbell at noon I know it is my dad.  He is never, ever late — sometimes he’s early, but never late.  My mom kind of freezes when she hears the bell, but I run to the door, open it, and jump into pa’s arms.  He gives me a big, long hug, and tells me he loves me, and gives me kisses all over my face and sometimes my neck, and that feels good because pa has a beard, and it tickles my neck and my face. 

Ma doesn’t smile or anything, but just says “Bring her back by six.” She says it as boring as I hear her talk, but pa is full of energy and his voice sounds like promises of the fun we have.  He asks ma how the week was, and how is ma’s family, and ma just says “fine” to everything.  She doesn’t like to talk to pa.  Pa told him it was ma who wanted to end their marriage because ma found another man that she loved, and pa apologized to me for that, but I told him it was OK and that it wasn’t his fault.  His eyes got a little red and full of water, and he told me thank you and kissed and hugged me, and I asked him about his eyes, and he said that sometimes his allergies make his eyes red.  

Most Sundays I do something outside with pa.  He likes being outside because he says he is in an office for most of the week.  My favorite times are when pa and I take a bike ride.  Usually we bike to a park and play outside.  I like the monkey bars, and I really like when pa and I play tag — he chases me around the play structure, and tricks me and tags me, then I go and get him.  Then pa likes to lay in the grass at the park with me, and we look at the clouds, and pa tells me how he really likes being outside with me.  Sometimes I bring a friend, and that is fun too, especially with tag. 

This Sunday was just me and pa.  We rode to a far park I had never been to, but it had ropes and a play structure, and really nice grass under some two big trees.  Pa said one was a sycamore, and the other was an old oak tree.  Pa likes trees, and tells me the names of the trees, and how I can tell them apart.  He chased me a lot today so I am tired. 

After the park, we went to a food store, and bought some kettle corn, and talked outside about what I like, and we ate the kettle corn.  I was hungry and ate most of the kettle corn.  I told pa I liked Sunday afternoons with him.  I told him they are relaxing and fun, and I like being with him and talking with him.  Pa’s eyes got red and watery again.  It must have been his allergies.