The day I was Daddy's girl

So a few days ago, my Daddy had a sudden urge to have dinner at this pork place we haven't been to in a long time. It's a small stall on the sidewalk in a very dusty part of the city. Tables were few and far between but if one could wait, the food will make every minute worthwhile.

It was a Thursday, I remember, and rush hour at that.

The thing is, we've never been particularly close. As a matter of fact, we had said some very harsh things to each other that we would never be able to take back. I am not his favorite child, and we had both made it very clear.

Nevertheless, I was secretly thrilled. Me and my Daddy going out to dinner. When was the last that happened?

Dinner was exceptionally good that night after being stuck in traffic for almost an hour. And he had even suggested that we take an after dinner stroll in Chinatown. It took almost all my self control not to burst into song and cartwheels.

What surprised me even more was when he took me through his secret routes, in alleys and backlanes that I would never have ventured down alone. Chinatown to me had always been a place for tourists.

But that Thursday night, for the first time in my entire life, Chinatown was the place I became Daddy's girl for those few hours.