It seemed like a long time since I last talked to my stepdaughter Hyacinth. That’s why, when she asked me to dinner, I thought this might be the chance to finally fix our fight. I was excited to see where the night would go, but the surprise at the restaurant was something I could not have seen coming.
I noticed that Hyacinth seemed tense and nervous as soon as we sat down at the table. It took me off guard that she chose the most expensive things on the menu. While we were eating, I tried to talk to her, but she seemed absent and busy.
As soon as the bill came, I reached for it, but Hyacinth whispered something to the waiter and ran to the bathroom before I could hand over my card.
After that, everything changed. Hyacinth came back with a big cake and a bunch of flowers, and she had a huge smile on her face. Her voice was filled with joy as she declared, “You’re going to be a granddad!”
It was hard for me to understand what was going on. But when I looked at Hyacinth, the stress and nervousness went away, and what was left was a kindness and earnestness I had never seen before.
All the years of stress and distance between us disappeared at that moment. I felt like I belonged and was connected in a way I had never felt before. As we praised and hugged each other, I knew this was the start of a new part of our relationship.
As we walked out of the restaurant with balloons in our hands and cake balanced between us, I couldn’t stop smiling. I was no longer Rufus; soon I would have grandchildren. I felt like I really fit in Hyacinth’s life for the first time in a long time.
