Before It's Too Late

Chapter 20

"I MISS YOU TOO. Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm spending the night here at Shelly's." Avery's voice cracked. "I wanted to hear your voice."

"I'm glad you called." Her dad paused. "Do you want me to pick you up? Or maybe have a brunch date with me tomorrow?"

"I'd love to have brunch with you tomorrow, Dad."

"I'll pick you up at ten tomorrow. Can't wait to see you, my Muffin."

"Me too, Dad. I love you."

"I love you more, my Muffin. Goodnight."

Avery didn't mention her situation, but her dad knew her well. There was her dad before there were the boys in her elementary and high school days. Always ready to listen to her stories. Before there were guys in college, her dad had been a shoulder to cry on. And before David promised her forever, her dad was, and would always be, there to hold her hand.

***

As always, Avery's dad didn't disappoint. He came in time to pick her up for their brunch. They enjoyed their usual panini and clam chowder at Abigail's Tea Room, Avery's favorite restaurant since she could remember. She would never forget how her dad religiously spent a special day with her once every month from when she was a little girl. They called it their brunch date. Their schedule was always the same until she graduated from college.

The schedule of once a month turned into once every two months. Avery's time with her family had lessened since she moved into her apartment and started working in the firm. When she began dating, their brunch became an invitational and rare occasion. But her dad was the first person to comfort her when she had her first heartbreak. When David came into her life, her dad was the objective critic, and her mom was her cheerleader.

She had always been a daddy's girl. Though she also had a close relationship with her mom, her dad was always her voice of reason. The three of them never kept secrets from each other. So it was a first that she kept everything to herself when she started having issues with David. When Avery thought about it, she realized she didn't dare to tell her parents because she wanted to prove that she could make things better. That hers and David's forever would be like her parents'. But maybe their forever also had an expiration date.

Avery sighed with exasperation. She didn't notice her dad when he sat beside her on the park bench. It disrupted her inattentiveness when he handed her their favorite strawberry ice cream cone. It was their routine after every brunch date. They always sat down together in the park for dessert.

"I miss this so much! The last time we had our date was the day after David proposed to you, right?" Her dad directed his stare at her.

Avery looked away. "Yeah, that was the last. You don't know how I miss this too, Dad."

Her dad gently touched her hair. "I think I have an idea now, Muffin." 

Silence descended between father and daughter. All they could hear were birds chirping, the footsteps of people walking, and children's laughter from the carousel.

"Whenever I see a park or pass by, I always see you, my little Muffin, happily eating your favorite strawberry ice cream. I haven't told you, but those times we had together were when I felt great and proud as your father."

Avery felt a soft kiss on her head. She moved toward her dad's seat and gazed at his face. "Why is that? You've always been a good father to me."

"Maybe because those are the times I see you the happiest. A father only wants his child to be happy." Her dad cleared his throat. "But I guess right now is the first time I might be failing."