Mommy ✓

nineteen

C H A P T E R  N I N E T E E N

☆☆☆

PAITEN HEARTH

☆☆☆

Anna sent me a good morning text every day at 07:19 on the dot without fail. She sent them at that time because she knew that was when I'd be out of the house, dressed, eaten and already strapped into the passenger seat of my dad's car. She knew it would be just before my dad would come rushing in with his travel mug before he'd rev the engine and reverse out of the garage and then drive out of the estate.

It never failed to make me smile. She was trying really hard to get back on track with me and although I hadn't seen her in a week since my dad returned from Durban, she was consistent. The texts were always short and sweet, with well wishes for me to enjoy my day and even if we didn't text much during the day, it felt nice to know someone was thinking about me.

The last day of August fell on a Wednesday and that night, my dad returned home with a gift for me. It was contained in a Zara bag and my dad had the most expectant look on my face when he handed it to me.

"What's this for?" I asked as he passed the bag over to me after we finished watching a recorded episode of Suits,

"I wanted to spoil the most beautiful girl in the world is all," he replied. My dad was dressed in the matching grey sweatpants he and I had gotten and an old grey tee shirt from the first company he'd worked for when he moved to Pretoria.

I couldn't imagine what it is I must've done to get a dress from Zara of all places in the middle of the term where I wasn't even writing exams or participating in hockey season. Zara was one of those stores I'd never even gone in because I knew everything in there would make me feel horribly poor.

Nonetheless, I opened the bag and found that a layer of baby blue tissue paper covered the contents. I pulled that away and there, at the bottom of that shiny off-white bag there lay a yellow dress. I picked it up and gasped.

It was a gorgeous summer dress with a low back and a bell skirt and an exquisite hand-sewn pattern of bright flowers against a mustard yellow fabric.

"Dad..." I said.

"Tomorrow is your Spring Day, right?"

I nodded.

"And it's your last one because next year you'll be writing Prelims at this time, am I right?"

I nodded and felt a lump in my throat. I was suddenly so emotional, so happy and awed by the dress. There were no words that could explain just why I found it so beautiful and precious.

"Yes."

"I love you," he said and placed a tender kiss on my forehead, "do you like it?"

"I love it. I usually don't like yellow but this dress is so very pretty and it must've cost a fortune, Zara isn't exactly..."

"What matters is that you love it. You're the best daughter anyone could ever ask for, I love you very much," he repeated.

"I love you too Dad, thank you," I replied breathlessly.

×

The next morning, Anna replied to the message I'd sent last night about the pretty yellow Zara dress along with her daily good morning message:

Anna: It's so wonderful of your dad to get you that dress for Spring Day. I know you must be over the moon because you hated winter so much.I'd love to see how the dress looks on you, but only if you're comfortable with that and I hope that you have a great day. Spring is the season of rebirth and growth, I hope you achieve that.