NEON

30. Fro-yo

Song for the chapter- Heaven by Beyoncé.

Kaplan.

"I will give you two a moment." Myers, one of the male nurses here, told my dad and me.

"Its not too late to take you home ya'know?" he said sitting on the bed across from mine. "I can always rip up your paperwork before-"

I didnt let him finish. I rushed towards him and hugged him, I hugged him the way I used to hug him when I was a little girl.

When I was his little princess.

"I'm taking you home Kaplan," he ripped up the paperwork and took my hand, leading me out of the room.

"We have changed our minds. I hope you all have a good day." He smiled at the nurses and I smiled at Myers, a small gesture letting him know he isn't a bad guy.

"Daddy," I whispered when we got to the car.

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry." I kept whispering. "I have given you shit for all of these years and treated you terribly but all along you are the only one who still loves me after everything." I cried.

He walked to my side and hugged me, "no baby, don't do that to yourself." he opened the car door and I got in.

"Lets go."

He got in and started driving away from the house. He was driving to the pier. I could tell by the absence of city lights and buildings.

"I think we need to talk," he said to me, "like we used to." He grabbed my hand and I rested my head against his shoulder.

****

"Remember when mom got sick and you stayed in bed with her until she was better." Dad said, mixing his frozen yogurt with coconut strings.

"I stayed in bed for a week." I chuckled and took a spoonful of my vanilla frozen yogurt. When I was younger, my dad took me to Sal's fro-yo shop on Fremont road and we always got our favorites.

"You and mom did everything together." He said putting his little paper bowl down on the grass beneath us.

"Only because you and Askins wouldn't stop playing video games." I giggled and dad also chuckle a bit.

"You and mom were constantly doing girly shit. Askins wanted a bud since he never got a brother." He smiled and picked up his bowl again.

"Oh so it's my fault?" I joked. "Still would've been nice to have you there, ya know?" I take another bite from my bowl.

"What do you mean babe?" I love that the nicknames have started up again. It feels like he actually loves me and I'm not just his responsibility. It feels like home.

"I mean you were never the traditional dad," I put my bowl down. "You didn't tell me what I could and could not wear. You didn't make terrible jokes about breaking the next guy I date's face." I side smile. "Even now, with Booker, it's like . . . It doesn't matter."

"It does but-" he stops himself. "Up until now, I haven't seen my baby girl. I saw my Kaplan all grown up and driving around in the car she bought her self. I see my grandchild in the arms of my child." He wipes a small tear that left my eye. "I saw you all grown up and I thought you didn't need me to make terrible jokes about the guys you want me to murder." I chuckled through the tears and my dad continued wiping them away.

"I want to be your princess again. I want to be your baby girl." I cry into his shoulder after he brings me into his arms. "I want you to see me as the little girl I still am, because I am a little girl and I need my daddy." I sobbed and clenched onto his jacket.

"You are my baby. You're my baby." He soothed me and rocked me back and forth in our awkward cry-hug position we were sitting at on a hill near the Clifton Bridge.

In such a short amount of time I wasn't sitting with my dad watching the boats flow by, I was sitting next to Cyrus, holding her hand while she cries her eyes out and sobs for my mother.

I wasn't looking at a shiny river, I was looking at my mothers picture in a giant frame, displaying her warming smile to all of her closest friends and family.

I wasn't talking with my dad, I was crying with him. I wasn't in an old sweatshirt and ripped jeans.

I was in my mothers favorite dress and instead of a ratty ponytail, my hair was pinned to the side in a fishtail braid.

It all happened too quickly.

I was reminiscing with one parent and now I'm celebrating the death of another one.

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