“Mommy said you were going to work, Daddy.”
“Um…yeah. Yes, Jake, Daddy’s getting ready to go out the door. Oh…I see you got all dressed up. That’s…nice.”
“You said I could come with you some day. I could come with you and see your desk and where you work all day, and we could have lunch in the cafeteria together. Can I come with you, daddy? Please?
“Oh. Um…today’s pretty bad…meetings all day.”
“But I got a tie! I bet I look just like you, daddy.”
“Yeah. You look…really good, tiger.”
“Just like your daddy. Like a stockbroker, or a big lawyer.”
“Are you crying, daddy?”
“Just got something in my eye. Um.”
“Do you want a hug?”
“Ohgodno–Ah–yeah, sure, tiger.”
“When I’m big like you I’m going to go to a big office downtown and tell lots of people what they do, and we can do lots of things together! Just like before.”
“Before…”
“Don’t be sad, daddy! Mommy says that when you’re sad is why you don’t come home sometimes.”
“I’ve just got a lot of stuff at the office…lots of…meetings. I’ll be home early tonight. We’ll get pizza, maybe see the new Disney movie.”
“Is it pretty, Daddy?”
“It sure is, tiger.”
Salvation Army on 1325 near Round Rock
2 Responses to “Can I come?”
I am crying. Your camera work on this post is terrific. Closer and closer and closer. That sculpture got more and more terrifying.
You know that dad lost his job month’s ago and he’s been spending all his time in the park feeding the pigeons.
Thanks! It’s a particularly sad image. The entire world of thrift stores is filled with Ceramics What Are Missing Their Eyes, but the “little kid following daddy to work” really made this. Thrift store love.