“Oh, daddy! That’s my favorite song!” she said, turning the car stereo up.
Singing along to her favorite song as she followed the turns and twists of the road, I looked over at her and admired how much of a beautiful young lady she was becoming. She reminded me so much of her mom and she was the spitting image of her. She was a little on the skinny side since she had to keep so physically active due to her condition—which had been in remission for a few years now.
Nevaeh kept herself busy with sports all throughout high school, though, her favorite sport was volleyball. She also did the swim team, track, and basketball. Now that she was learning how to drive, she couldn’t wait until she was able to take herself to all of her meets and practices. Kimberly was relieved too.
Kimberly spent most of her days at home, tending to our three children. Occasionally, she would help me when it came to buying or selling properties. She’d typically go sign off on the purchase or sale of the commercial spaces if I was occupied doing something else. Life had never been sweeter since she married me.
“Turn right where this road forks up there,” I said, pointing to where it was.
“I know dad! I’ve been here before. Remember? When I was younger, you and mom would send me so I could go horseback riding and do fun stuff?” she said sarcastically.
“Yep, and just look at how you turned out,” I teased her. “But you have to admit, you’re probably the only kid in our neighborhood who could survive out in the wilderness if something ever happened or you got lost.”
“That’s for sure!” she agreed.
As we pulled up to the camp, all of the kids were lined up, waiting for parents to pick them up.
“I see Dale and Alyssa!” she said, pulling over to that side of the parking lot.
“I’ll let their counselors know that we’re here and I’ll be right back,” I said unbuckling my seatbelt as I got out of the car.
§
I was at home, enjoying one last quiet day by the in-ground swimming pool before the munchkins came back. I knew once they were home, my afternoon would be filled with making finger sandwiches as I tore the crust off of them. And chasing the wet kids around the patio with towels, trying to catch them before they got inside. Although things would be hectic once they returned home, I couldn’t wait. They’d been at summer camp for three weeks and I missed them. In less than an hour, the entire family would be reunited.
Suddenly, I heard a loud splash before I was drenched with water. Little Dale had cannonballed into the swimming pool and soaked me with a tidal wave.
“I didn’t even hear you guys come in!” I said wiping off my face. “Are any of you hungry?”
“I’m starving!” Nevaeh said.
“Me too,” Alyssa concurred.
“I have some hotdogs and hamburgers. I’ll fire up the grill to make us an early dinner.”
§
Just a few weeks later, Nevaeh’s hands were sweating as she waited in line at the DMV for her driving test.
“You’re going to do fine,” I whispered to her.
“I know dad, but I’m so nervous. What if a car pulls out in front of me? Or what if the light changes and it’s too late for me to stop?”
He chuckled, “I suppose any of those things could happen, but they won’t. I have confidence in you. And so what if a car does pull out in front of you. Show off your defensive driving skills to the instructor!”
“Nevaeh Halloway,” the woman called her for the test.
After Kimberly and I gotten married, she hunted down Nevaeh’s dad, Troy, to ask him to sign over his parental rights. It wasn’t an easy task tracking him down; it took her months, but when she did, he initially didn’t want to sign over his rights. He wanted to weasel his way back into their life, but when Kimberly promised to forgive all of his child support arrears, he eagerly signed the adoption papers for us. His child support warrant would soon be a thing of the past.
“Good luck, babe,” I said to her as she headed out the door with her keys in hand.
Twenty minutes later, Nevaeh was bouncing through the door as the instructor followed shortly behind her.
“I passed daddy! I passed!”
“See, I told you that you’d do fine!”
“I’ll be right back, I have to go have my picture taken for my driver’s license.”
I looked on as my beautiful daughter flashed her pearly whites for the camera, beaming with pride. She’d become quite a little lady and I couldn’t have been prouder. That little girl who turned into a lovely young woman had captured my heart, just as her mother had.