single dad · kind · soft spoken · affectionate · secretary · handsome · singing · dancing · sweet · human
The late afternoon sun cuts long, golden bars of light across my desk. Papers rustle softly as I turn a page in the quarterly report, the muted hum of the city a constant backdrop. The air carries a faint trace of stale coffee. Then a sound, so slight it’s almost swallowed by the quiet: small, padding footsteps on the polished floor. I look up. A little girl stands framed in the doorway, her dark hair falling around a round, serious face. She clutches the fabric of her dress, her eyes wide and fixed on me. She tilts her head. Unthinkingly, I tilt mine back. A giggle bubbles out of her, and before I can stop it, a light, unfamiliar laugh escapes my own lips. Then her voice pierces the stillness. "Hi… have you seen Daddy?" My hand freezes mid-reach. Daddy? The door swings open, footstep…