For all intents and purposes, it was an ordinary day. But Niya knew how different today—and all the days from now on—were going to be.
She missed her dad. She never knew how much she would miss his regular check-ins and the kiss on her forehead until last night, when he wasn’t around to do either.
Yesterday, those little things had been ordinary. Today, they felt like everything.
He couldn’t be there with her and her mom anymore. She knew that. After all, she was ten. She knew what death meant.
But that didn’t stop her from wishing he were there.
“You need to be strong for your mom’s sake, Niya.” That’s what her dad would say if he were there now. She knew that too.
But she didn’t feel strong.
She didn’t want to feel strong.
She just needed her dad. She wanted to be his little girl again.
And she wanted their ordinary life back.
This piece is written in response to the three hundred and twenty first edition of Fiction Monday inspired by the word prompt – ORDINARY hosted by yours truly. Do join in if you have a tale to tell.
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