I'd heard what I'd expected at parent-teacher interviews: both girls excel in their school work but would benefit by being more outgoing with their peers. Time for some fatherly feedback. And what better way to grease the wheels of conversation than a pair of ice cream dates in the park, one daughter at a time? At dinner there are no objections to this proposal. The only debate is over which child gets to have her ice cream date second! (We've done too good a job it seems in teaching the girls the value of delayed gratification.) Cornelia "loses" and gets her outing first.
The early evening air is soft, almost glowing. We walk hand-in-hand to the ice cream stand, order a scoop of Nutella flavour, and enjoy a happy-go-lucky stroll through the Mirabellgarten. Converstation drifts breezily from one theme to another. All the cities we've ever been to, being more outgoing at school, why do some people smoke, being more outgoing at school, how much we miss our friends in Canada. And by the way, how are you getting along with your friends at school?
All too soon we must heed our internal pajama-time bells, and I give her a piggy-back ride home. I deliberately relish this moment. All too soon, she will be the one carting me around.
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