âHey, hey, dad. Um⊠yâknow, IâŠ. have something to ask you.â
âWhat is it Jeanne?â
âWell, my real dad and mom are in heaven right?â
âAh, yes thatâs right. Whatâs the matter? Have you been feeling lonely?â
âMm mmh, Iâm fine! Cause Iâve got you dad. Err⊠anyway, thatâs not what I was talking about. What I mean to ask is⊠dad, I was wondering how you found me. Yeah, thatâs it.â
âYou mean the first time you and I met each other? How terrible, have you really forgotten?â
â-I didnât forget! But⊠yâknow, ⊠uhhhâŠ. yeah ok, sorryâŠâ
âNo need to apologize. You were so little back then; it canât be helped that you donât remember. Besides, your question isnât entirely accurate. It wasnât that I found you, it was more like you found me.â
âEh?! That canât be true! I mean, I was super tiny then right? I couldnâtâve done something like that! Dad, you gotta be lying.â
âI wouldnât lie to you. Without your parents around, you were left in the care of the church. You really donât remember do you?â
âHmmâŠ. uhhâŠ.â
âYou were quite the rascal you know. You didnât pray, you ate your food with your hands, you rode the next door neighborâs dog like a horse and pulled on its fur. You also didnât listen to the priest and sisters at all, and when they tried to punish you after having been so exasperated, youâd kick up a huge fuss gnashing your teeth and scratching at themâŠ.. Well, I wonder if you still have those bad behaviors even now.â
âN-no way! âŠ. So, dad, you didnât like me thenâŠâ
âThere was nothing to like or dislike. Like I said, you were the one who found me. I just happened to be visiting the church that day and you jumped onto me all of a sudden you know. I was surprised but the priest even more so. You, who never let anyone, not even the people you were around everyday, get close to you, had come face-to-face with me in a tight hug. The sisters hurriedly tried to pull you off, but you clung too tightly for us to be separated. âLet her do what she wants.â I pleaded. I thought that eventually you would get tired and let go⊠I underestimated your stubbornness. Not only did you not let go after such a long time, but you also started to doze off into a sound sleep. The priest must have felt there was something going on between us; he said he wanted to consult with me regarding your future. And so, with you still biting and clinging to me, it was decided that we would leave the church together.â
ââŠ. Mustâve been annoying huhâŠ.â
âJeanne, you havenât been listening. Not a day has gone by since that day where you have been a nuisance to me. About your parents, what we just talked aboutâŠ. Iâve told you the whole truth. And do you know why? Itâs because I donât want to be the kind of father who lies and hides things from his daughter. What parent wouldnât be happy to be hugged by their own child? Ever since that day, I have been the happiest father in the world.â
âReally?â
âWhat did I just say? I would never lie to my daughter.â
ââŠ..âŠ.. Well thenâŠâ
âWhat is it?â
âWell then, see ya next time. Oh, can I have a big hug? With you dad. Yâknow, just like the first time we met!â
âHmm, whatâs going on here I wonder⊠This young lady seems to have gained a considerable amount of weight recently for a 7-year-old, hasnât she?â
âOoohhhh, youâre such a jerk dad!â