Recently, I was at the store with three of my boys and their 14 year old sister. It was a Sunday afternoon, the store was crowded, and I just wanted to get home. As we approached the check out lines, I started looking for one of those "ring yourself up registers" so I could avoid dealing with an underpaid and unhappy cashier. I spotted one that had a very short line and turned around to make sure everyone was still with me.
When I did, I noticed my daughter standing there with the biggest grin on her face that I have ever seen. I looked at her suspiciously and asked her what was going on. She replied with an innocent "nothing" and then proceeded to try convincing me to use register 19. I told her no and explained that I wanted to use the self checkout. She continued to do her best to change my mind, tossing out reasons why we should proceed to register 19, all the while, craning her neck to see over the row of checkouts.
Now, being a reasonably smart guy I could think of only one reason for her sudden interest in a specific register. I asked her if there was a boy at register 19. She did not need to respond, her answer was written all over her face. Her face was glowing, her eyes were shining, and her smile was endless.
This is supposed to be a moment that you dread. At least, that is what countless movies, books, and stand up comedians have led me to believe. The day when a father realizes he is no longer the apple of his daughter's eye. Surprisingly, there was no wave of fear washing over me. I was not overcome with sadness or a sudden urge to rush her away and keep her under lock and key. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed the moment. It was sweet. It was simple. It was lovely. In those few seconds, a girl blossomed right before my eyes.
When I finished checking out, I asked her if we should walk by register 19 and see if he was still there. Without hesitation, she said yes. So the five of us casually strolled past the register and there he was. The first thing I noticed was how tall he was. I mentioned that to her and asked how old he was. It turned out he was only a year older than she was. By this time, we had walked almost to the opposite end of where I had parked.
I stopped and turned to my daughter and said, "Now you realize we are nowhere near where we are parked. We could go ahead, go out this exit, and walk through the parking lot. Or, we can walk back past register 19 to the other exit ." She replied, "Well, he probably already thinks I am crazy so we might as well go back." And so we did. As we were leaving the store, I asked her if she has ever talked to him and she said no. I then asked her what his name was. She paused, smiled, laughed, and then said "Scott."
On the drive home, she was quiet at first. Then, without warning, she turned to me and happily said, "Thanks for taking us to the store Daddy!"
Then... she smiled. Again... in those few seconds... a girl blossomed right before my eyes.
-Scott
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