She Taught Her to Wave

She sat on my wife’s lap, our little girl. Hannah wasn’t quite a year old but she was sweet, social, a happy little thing.

My wife would sit on the couch and play with her for hours at a time. For months, she would pick up her hand and shake it at me. “Hi, Daddy,” she would say.

One day, out of the blue, Hannah did it by herself. My wife had finally taught her to wave.

Not long after, my job required me to go away on a business trip in Singapore. This wasn’t unusual and my wife and daughter looked forward to the nightly Skype chats we would have. I think it made her less lonely, my wife.

The night before I was due home, I video-called my wife to finalize the plans for her to pick me up at the airport. She was beautiful, her tired but happy face filling my screen. Little Hannah was in the background, playing happily.

My wife was telling me a funny story, something about the neighbors. Hannah stood up in her playpen and began to wave in the hallway.

”Honey, is someone there with you?” I asked.

She never got the chance to answer me. I never saw either of them again.

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Credits to: iamnotabutterfly