Read Online Coming Back (The Sarah Kinsely Story - Book #2) by C.J. Berry - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: C.J. Berry
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attractions, to recognize the signs.
While still in the car, I turned to little Lizzy and said, "Do you like roses?"
"Yes." Was all she let on.
Aiden just smiled again and shrugged his shoulders.
"So, I guess we are going to see the Rose Garden today?" I asked not to no one in particular.
Little Lizzy squealed and wrote something down in her notebook.
“Maybe,” Aiden said.
We all got out of the car, started slowly strolling through the beautiful roses in Portland's famous Rose Garden, walked over the iron etched names of all the previous Rose Queen winners, took pictures under the geometric sculpture that sat dead center in the garden of flowers, and then kept walking.
And Walking.
And Walking, and Walking and Walking.
We passed the tennis courts, we passed the concession stand that sold over priced hotdogs, we passed the little eating area at the base of the hill, and finally I saw it.
A dark green sign that read:
"Zoo Train"
This time, I was the one who let out a squeal. I looked at little Lizzy and she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on a child stretching, reaching across her face.
This must have been her idea.
We boarded the train from The Portland Rose Garden to the Zoo's entrance, and within just a few minutes of traveling through the woods of Washington Park we arrived.
"We have to go to the polar bears first dad," Little Lizzy said, "I still have to see if I can take their measurements."
Aiden looked at me and said, "Would that be okay if we go to the polar bears first, Sarah?"
"Of course," I said, "polar bears are my favorite."
We spent the entirety of the early afternoon going from exhibit to exhibit, nearly chasing after little Lizzy as she jotted down notes, pulled out rulers, magnifying glasses and binoculars from her little backpack to take measurements, observe the wildlife, and just generally be a cute little scientist.
The shyness with which I was greeted early that morning had melted away by then. She was now a vibrant, colorful, bright little girl whose excitement was contagious. I found myself wanting to stop and read each of the display panels with her, to try and experience life through her eyes.
For lunch, we ate on the zoo's campus. It was overpriced, not really that tasty, and I was surprised to see Aiden enjoying it so much. Seeing him scarfing down his overpriced hot dog with his daughter munching on her overpriced elephant ear, you never would've guessed that this man owned one of the finest restaurants in all of the Northwest.
By late afternoon, little Lizzy was beginning to drag her feet. We had made it through perhaps half of the animals available to see at the zoo, and Lizzy was ready to go home. To be honest, so was I. I hadn’t spent that much time with a child since the last family reunion I went to.
We wound our way back to the entrance, boarded the train, traveled through the woods, walked through the Rose Garden and got back into Aiden's car.
Before we even made it to downtown, little Lizzy was asleep.
Aiden looked in his rear-view mirror and a soft, warm smile came over his face. He turned to me and whispered, "I love my little Lizzy"
He didn't have to tell me. I had seen it. I could almost reach out and touch the love that he and his daughter had for each other. They were a team. A team that had been through a lot together, I imagined.
I knew that he had a deep and abiding love for his mother, he had told me what he had done for her, but seeing him with his daughter showed me, not only a new side of Aiden, but a new side of life that I had never considered before. I found a tear rolling down my cheek as I thought about how much Aiden and his daughter must have overcome to have built this life that they had together. I thought how trivial my own problems were, compared to the great challenges that Aiden and little Lizzy had been through.
And yet, they loved each other more deeply than any father-daughter relationship I had ever seen.
I wanted
While still in the car, I turned to little Lizzy and said, "Do you like roses?"
"Yes." Was all she let on.
Aiden just smiled again and shrugged his shoulders.
"So, I guess we are going to see the Rose Garden today?" I asked not to no one in particular.
Little Lizzy squealed and wrote something down in her notebook.
“Maybe,” Aiden said.
We all got out of the car, started slowly strolling through the beautiful roses in Portland's famous Rose Garden, walked over the iron etched names of all the previous Rose Queen winners, took pictures under the geometric sculpture that sat dead center in the garden of flowers, and then kept walking.
And Walking.
And Walking, and Walking and Walking.
We passed the tennis courts, we passed the concession stand that sold over priced hotdogs, we passed the little eating area at the base of the hill, and finally I saw it.
A dark green sign that read:
"Zoo Train"
This time, I was the one who let out a squeal. I looked at little Lizzy and she had the biggest smile I've ever seen on a child stretching, reaching across her face.
This must have been her idea.
We boarded the train from The Portland Rose Garden to the Zoo's entrance, and within just a few minutes of traveling through the woods of Washington Park we arrived.
"We have to go to the polar bears first dad," Little Lizzy said, "I still have to see if I can take their measurements."
Aiden looked at me and said, "Would that be okay if we go to the polar bears first, Sarah?"
"Of course," I said, "polar bears are my favorite."
We spent the entirety of the early afternoon going from exhibit to exhibit, nearly chasing after little Lizzy as she jotted down notes, pulled out rulers, magnifying glasses and binoculars from her little backpack to take measurements, observe the wildlife, and just generally be a cute little scientist.
The shyness with which I was greeted early that morning had melted away by then. She was now a vibrant, colorful, bright little girl whose excitement was contagious. I found myself wanting to stop and read each of the display panels with her, to try and experience life through her eyes.
For lunch, we ate on the zoo's campus. It was overpriced, not really that tasty, and I was surprised to see Aiden enjoying it so much. Seeing him scarfing down his overpriced hot dog with his daughter munching on her overpriced elephant ear, you never would've guessed that this man owned one of the finest restaurants in all of the Northwest.
By late afternoon, little Lizzy was beginning to drag her feet. We had made it through perhaps half of the animals available to see at the zoo, and Lizzy was ready to go home. To be honest, so was I. I hadn’t spent that much time with a child since the last family reunion I went to.
We wound our way back to the entrance, boarded the train, traveled through the woods, walked through the Rose Garden and got back into Aiden's car.
Before we even made it to downtown, little Lizzy was asleep.
Aiden looked in his rear-view mirror and a soft, warm smile came over his face. He turned to me and whispered, "I love my little Lizzy"
He didn't have to tell me. I had seen it. I could almost reach out and touch the love that he and his daughter had for each other. They were a team. A team that had been through a lot together, I imagined.
I knew that he had a deep and abiding love for his mother, he had told me what he had done for her, but seeing him with his daughter showed me, not only a new side of Aiden, but a new side of life that I had never considered before. I found a tear rolling down my cheek as I thought about how much Aiden and his daughter must have overcome to have built this life that they had together. I thought how trivial my own problems were, compared to the great challenges that Aiden and little Lizzy had been through.
And yet, they loved each other more deeply than any father-daughter relationship I had ever seen.
I wanted
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