Second Chances

That is an Insult to Ice Cream!

Johnny walked down the sidewalk, hand in hand with Faith as she skipped alongside him.

"What do you want to do today?" Johnny asked, looking down at his daughter.

"Can we get ice cream?" She requested, smiling brightly at him.

"Of course we can, sweetheart." The singer nodded, they were close to a parlor so they could walk.

"What's mommy doing today?" Faith asked curiously.

"Mommy's working." Johnny replied, adjusting his sunglasses as he walked.

"Why?" Faith asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Because she needs money." The singer chuckled.

"But why?" The little girl pressed.

Johnny sighed, and shook his head. "Because  she has to buy food to take care of you and pay for the apartment, same reason that I have to go stay on the bus for a long time." He explained.

He referred to touring as 'staying on the bus' because that's basically what he was doing, and it made more sense to Faith than trying to explain touring as a whole to her.

"That sounds boooorrriiinnngg!" Faith huffed out, but was quickly distracted by the ice cream shop once they entered.

"Well being a grownup is boring sometimes." The singer laughed, walking up to the counter to order.

The girl at the register looked to be about seventeen or so, her inky black hair pulled back into a ponytail with dark makeup, piercings, and black nails, Johnny wasn't at all surprised when her eyes widened at the sight of him when she looked up.

"Oh my God." She whispered in shock, making Johnny chuckle.

"Hi, how are you?" He asked kindly, waiting for her to ask for a selfie.

"I- I um- I'm good, sorry. I wasn't expecting to see you of all people here." She laughed nervously. "Can I get a picture?"

"Of course!" Johnny said, leaning over the counter slightly, and scanned the camera carefully to make sure Faith wasn't in the picture. It wasn't that he actively hid Faith's appearance from the world, he just didn't post it everywhere either.

They took the photo, and she went back to what she was supposed to be doing, and asked for their order.

"I want chocolate and cheesy cake, daddy!" Faith chimed in, having been so patient as she waited for the fan interaction to finish.

"Ok, baby. I want a small chocolate ice cream with cheesecake bites in it and a small pistachio ice cream." Johnny relayed to the girl behind the counter.

Faith wrinkled her nose at that, and gagged. "Daddy, that is an insult to ice cream!" She said dramatically, drawing a laugh from the fan.

Johnny looked down at her blankly. "What do you know? You're four and you only eat chocolate." He said with an eyeroll.

"I know what actually tastes good, and apparently you don't." Faith retorted.

Johnny looked up at the girl behind the counter, and sighed as he handed her his card. "I know this is definitely my fault, but I'm still gonna blame her mom for this." He joked, drawing a laugh from her.

"She's so cute!" She exclaimed, making Faith grin brightly.

"Thank you." Johnny nodded, and walked over to a small table in the corner, helping Faith into her seat before he sat down across from her.

"Daddy?" Faith suddenly asked, swinging her legs as she waited for her ice cream.

"Yes, my love?" He replied, smiling at his beautiful child.