Molly looked up from her gardening to see her four year old, Adrienne, approaching. Her daughter looked concerned, and held something cupped in both her small hands.
"What's wrong, honey?" Molly asked, taking off her thick, leather gloves.
Adrienne opened her hands, revealing the lifeless body of a small bird.
"It's broken... can Daddy fix it?" She sounded hopeful. Molly wasn't sure if Adrienne was too young to understand death, but she and Adam had made a promise that they'd never lie to their children. She carefully took the bird, and placed it on a mound of dirt beside her.
"No Adrienne, I'm sorry."
"Why?"
"Because Daddy can't fix everything."
One of the hardest childhood lessons - poignant, and beautifully understated. Great :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a sad but true fact that fathers--or mothers--can't make everything better all the time.
ReplyDeleteSweet story.
You really captured the essence of a little girl asking a little girl sort of question. :) It's something anyone who's worked with or had small children can relate to. It's hard to know what to say and this was said well.
ReplyDelete