Richard hadn’t seen his daughter since his wife’s funeral, four years ago. Nothing was really the same since his wife died. As the years rolled past, Richard missed his daughter more and more…
He knocked on the door. When Deidre opened the front door, he spread his arms wide and yelled, “Surprise!”
“Dad? What are you doing here?” Tears ran freely down Deidre’s face as she looked at Richard in horror.
“I came to celebrate my birthday with you…it’s the big eight-oh, and I wanted to spend it with my daughter.” Richard reached out to take Deidre’s hand. “What’s going on, honey? Why are you crying?”
“It’s nothing; everything’s fine.” Deidre quickly wiped her eyes and smiled a little. “I just… I wasn’t expecting you and this isn’t really a good time.”
“I know you’re probably busy, but I can wait.” Richard leaned sideways to catch Deidre’s eye as she glanced over her shoulder.
“No, you can’t come in.” Deidre closed the door until only half her face was visible. “Sorry, Dad,” she said, then closed the door right in front of him.