Then, right on schedule, a few days before Father’s Day, I got a message from Kyle.
“Can I stop by and see Emma this Sunday? It’s Father’s Day.”
I stared at the screen for a full minute.
Months of silence… and suddenly he wants to show up on a holiday to play the role of a great dad?
I took a deep breath and typed back:
“Sure. 3 PM.”
That evening, Emma was sitting on the floor working on a puzzle when I told her.
“Sweetheart, your dad might come by on Father’s Day.”
She looked up at me. There was a flicker of hope in her eyes, but her voice sounded cautious.
“Really?”
I nodded.
Emma reached into her backpack and pulled out a half-finished card.
“Our teacher told us to make Father’s Day cards,” she said quietly. “But I didn’t know what to write… I’m not even sure I still have a dad.”
My heart broke a little hearing that.
I told her she didn’t have to finish the card if she didn’t want to.