I sat down at a table in the tavern, watching the sea of faces emptily. I don't know what I was searching for or wanted. I then saw a little lass walk in with a handful of flowers a man beside her. Spitting image of him she was and then well.. then that's where the memory had come. I saw Da again we were walking towards the only garden there was in town. I ran ahead of him my little voice echoing inside of my mind "Daddy look! Look there be flowers!" His merry laughter was so loud it was as if the whole town could hear. His baritone voice replying to me "Aye, I know m'dear but there ain't a flower pretty enough t' match yer' beauty, me little spit fire!" I was six years old and my Mother was off working at her fruit stand. You wouldn't think her heart was so sour with the way she smiled at customers. I giggled and continued to beckon him forward. "Daddy! Come on!" He smirked and shook his head "I'm comin' lass I'm comin' old' yer' horses."
"But daddy I don't have any horses!" He laughed again "No ye' don' et's an expression darlin'." Finally he caught up with me and scooped me up there was an apple tree in the midst of the garden. He held me up to it "Pick a couple darlin' yer' Ma could use et' fer' er' orchard." At that time I did everything he said. Being a child was so much easier, I didn't care what people thought. I knew that I was beautiful in Da' eyes. I picked as many apples as I could and the tree was swooning in the summer breeze. "Will these make Mama happy Da?" The look he had on his face now tells me he was sincerely, trying to bite back a smart remark. But how could he tell me that few things made her happy? "Aye.. we'll take these to er' but Cassie girl. Don't say too much to her aye? She's had a long day." I nodded and slowly, but surely reality came back to me and the scent of his sweat shed for me, each day of labor. Weighing heavily on my heart and soul.
