At first, I thought it was simply a phase she was going through as she grew older. But then I noticed that Lily became tense
whenever Grandpa was about to visit.
One afternoon, my father came over.
“Lily, come give Grandpa a hug!”
My daughter hid behind me. My father gave her a sad smile.
“That’s okay, sweetheart. You can come to me whenever you feel like it.”
At the time, I didn’t think much of his words. But the following Sunday, everything changed.
My father asked if he could take Lily to their favorite restaurant for a few hours. My daughter hesitated for a long moment
before finally agreeing.
When they returned, my father seemed unusually happy.
“We made some real progress today,” he said.
I looked at him in confusion.
“What kind of progress?”
He glanced at Lily.
“Let her tell you.”
Then he left.
That evening, after helping my daughter get dressed following her bath, she suddenly said:
