What Was That Strange Sound
Just before daybreak this morning, the house was quiet and still. I knew that Cici was sleeping soundly in her room, yet I had heard some noise that had awakened me. I lay in bed silently, listening, letting my brain focus on what was happening. It was such a strange noise, but I knew I had heard it before. Sometime. In the distant past. But I had almost forgotten what it sounds like.
Yes, a few drops of rain were falling from the sky onto our home. I confirmed its presence when I went outside to get the morning newspaper. There were raindrops on its plastic wrapping. Cici and I have watched each day as the temperture guage on our car has reported higher and higher readings. It has climbed steadily from the mid-nineties last week to over a hundred degrees this week. These few drops of rain will not be enough to break the heat wave, but maybe they mean that there is more rain in the sky.
Well the deed is done. Yesterday Cici and I went to the orthodontist to have her teeth examined and fitted for braces. We will go back on July 9 to have the braces put on her teeth. They think that her teeth will be the way she wants them in about a year.
Who remembers what today is? Today marks the beginning of the fifth week since Ping left us to take care of things in China. Cici was happily telling me yesterday that Mama has bought a few surprises for her. True to form, though, Cici already knew what they are. These girls just can't keep secrets. A large purse, some items of clothing, it doesn't take much to excite Cici. Ping's theory is that by knowing the surprise, Cici can enjoy it every day until she returns. Maybe she is on to something with that theory.
I think that Ping's absence has brought Cici closer to me. I have noticed that when we go places together now, Cici will sit in the chair right next to me, even when there are plenty of other places to sit. She interacts with me as naturally as though we had always been together. At the orthodontist's office yesterday, she left no doubt in anyone's mind that she is my daughter. This is what Ping wanted, so I think she will be proud and happy to see what has happened in her absence.
Yes, a few drops of rain were falling from the sky onto our home. I confirmed its presence when I went outside to get the morning newspaper. There were raindrops on its plastic wrapping. Cici and I have watched each day as the temperture guage on our car has reported higher and higher readings. It has climbed steadily from the mid-nineties last week to over a hundred degrees this week. These few drops of rain will not be enough to break the heat wave, but maybe they mean that there is more rain in the sky.
Well the deed is done. Yesterday Cici and I went to the orthodontist to have her teeth examined and fitted for braces. We will go back on July 9 to have the braces put on her teeth. They think that her teeth will be the way she wants them in about a year.
Who remembers what today is? Today marks the beginning of the fifth week since Ping left us to take care of things in China. Cici was happily telling me yesterday that Mama has bought a few surprises for her. True to form, though, Cici already knew what they are. These girls just can't keep secrets. A large purse, some items of clothing, it doesn't take much to excite Cici. Ping's theory is that by knowing the surprise, Cici can enjoy it every day until she returns. Maybe she is on to something with that theory.
I think that Ping's absence has brought Cici closer to me. I have noticed that when we go places together now, Cici will sit in the chair right next to me, even when there are plenty of other places to sit. She interacts with me as naturally as though we had always been together. At the orthodontist's office yesterday, she left no doubt in anyone's mind that she is my daughter. This is what Ping wanted, so I think she will be proud and happy to see what has happened in her absence.
Lee, you are experiencing something in your life that you may have otherwise missed – raising a daughter. And Cici is experiencing something in her life that she may have missed – a father who is always there to love, guide, and teach. Call it fate, karma, or just luck of the draw, you both are sharing an experience of a lifetime - the bonding between a father and daughter, sharing something that money can’t buy. The love between a father and daughter that she will pass on to her children. You unselfish acts of love are to be commended.
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Thanks Andrew.
When I told Cici yesterday that she could sleep in this morning while I go to the office, and that I will pick her up later in the morning to go have her teeth cleaned, she pumped her arm over her head with a huge smile, saying Yes! Yes! When I told her that Friday of next week is a holiday, it added even more to her pleasure.
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