My Little Girl

Chapter Four: Snow

I smiled faintly, the memory of my wife flooding my senses. "She was the most wonderful woman and an even better mother. She was always worried about you when you were younger. Her favorite color was purple. And she had the biggest chocolate brown eyes, as big as the moon! Her black curly hair would flow beautifully in the wind. She complained about how she was worried she may look ugly, but I would always tell her that she was the most gorgeous woman in the world. And for some odd reason, she always smelled sweet like candy. Her voice matched her scent: sweet. Just like yours is..." I trailed off, almost feeling tears for at the brim of my eyes. Annabelle must have sensed my sadness, tightly squeezing my hand and arm to remind me that I wasn't alone. 

I breathed in deeply, continuing with my description of Alice. "Her skin glowed in both the sun and moonlight. Yet, she always enjoyed the night much more than the day. Unlike you, she didn't really care for the warmth of the sunshine." I stopped talking, picturing my wife laying in a patch of lilies in the middle of the night. The next image in my head was of Annabelle basking in the sun and running through a field of daisies. I smiled sadly, wishing the two could have enjoyed their flowers together. "And it was amazing how beautiful your mother was and she didn't even have to try. And if there was anything I knew at all about your mother it's that she loved you very much until the day she took her last breath..." I described Alice the way I remembered her. She was the best wife and mother that I had known of. She did so much for the both of us, only to end up deceased because of my own idiotic carelessness.

My breathing hitched as more memories entered my spinning head. "I remember the last moments I had with your mom. I held onto her hands as tight as I could, like she was my lifeline. She wanted me to tell you that... S-She loves you now and forever." My voice was on the verge of cracking but I did my best to hide it. "She also said that whatever I do... I do out of love..." My voice broke off in the end. I couldn't hold back the tears as I thought of my beloved wife. "Daddy?" Annabelle called out. I sluggishly wiped the tears away and cleared my throat. "Yes, Annabelle?" I answered her, my voice barely audible. "Don't be sad, Daddy. I know Mommy wouldn't want you to cry. She'd want you to be happy!" She attempted to comfort me, speaking in a cheerful tone. "Annabelle, my sweet little angel... if only you knew..." I thought to myself in a depressed manner. Annabelle turned around and hugged me with all her might. "I don't have to be able to see you to know that you're sad, Daddy." She whispered as she moved her tiny hands and fingers across my stubbly face. She wiped my eyes for any of the tears I may have missed. I slightly grinned. "You're a smart little girl." I whispered back.

She whole-heartedly smiled. "Daddy, I wish I could see. I want to see the beautiful flowers that Ms. Cayden tells me about..." Annabelle's voice grew faint as her eyelids began to grow heavy. Her breathing grew softer as her body moved slowly up and down. "Goodnight... Daddy..." She managed to say as her eyes closed shut. I kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight, Annabelle." I told her softly. Relaxing, I eased myself into a state of sleep.

~

"Daddy! Daddy!" Annabelle's voice reached my ears as she shook me awake. Slowly, I opened my eyes. "What is it?" I questioned her sleepily. "Someone is at the front door! I can hear them knocking!" Annabelle's eyes were wide and worried. "Alright, alright. Shh... Calm down. Stay here. I'll go check it out." I said sternly. I patted her head and slipped myself out of bed, heading to the door. I unlocked it and stepped through the living room. I walked up to the front door and the knocking began again. I peeked out of the eye hole to find Erin dressed in warm clothing.

Opening the door, she smiled politely at me. She looked like her usual self with her brown wavy hair and brown eyes. "Is Annabelle ready to start learning?" Erin asked me brightly. I looked at her with half closed eyes, rubbing my head. The cold air woke me up as it rushed through from the outside. "No, uhh... We actually just woke up. What time is it?" I asked sluggishly. "Barely? It's nearly eleven thirty!" She scolded. Looking past the events that occurred yesterday, I invited her in and she gladly accepted. Closing the door, I locked it and began to head back to Annabelle. Her tiny head poked out from behind the living room wall.

"W-Who's here?" She questioned terrified. Her blue eyes were huge with worry as she tried to look all around her. There was a frown on her face as her eyebrows burrowed. I walked over to her and quickly let her feel my hand, allowing her to recognize my touch. "It's just Ms. Cayden. Nothing to worry about." I informed her. Her face lit up instantly and she ran away from me and towards the middle of the living room. I was surprised that she hadn't tripped over her clumsiness. "Ms. Cayden! Ms. Cayden!" Annabelle cried out. Holding out her hands, she reached for the familiar hands of her young teacher. Erin glanced at me. Although she was smiling, her eyes told me a different story.

Erin put her hand into Annabelle's. Annabelle searched every little feature on Erin's hand. After she confirmed it was her, Annabelle wrapped her tiny arms around Erin. "Ms. Cayden, can we please go to the park today with Daddy?" Annabelle asked sweetly, then she turned around to face me. "You don't have work, do you Daddy?" Her big eyes shined with hope. I checked my phone and noticed no new last minute notifications for today. "No, I don't have any work today, sweet pea." I answered her. "If Mr. Ryder is okay with it, then I'll be okay with it, too." Erin responded. Annabelle turned to me once more, giving me big puppy eyes. "Can we Daddy? Please?" My little angel pleaded. It occurred to me that even if she wasn't able to see, she had memorized everything. Where I stood, who's hands were who's, even what our house looked like. The only way she was able to tell if someone moved was by the sound going to her ears. That's how she knew I was in the same spot. She really was a smart little girl.

"Sure. Let's go get dressed." I agreed. I never got much time to spend with my daughter, but when I did, I made sure to always do whatever she wanted. Annabelle's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger. "Dress warm! It's snowing outside." Erin informed us. I walked into my room alone and changed into a new pair of underwear, a long sleeved shirt and pants. I put on a nearby jacket and zipped it up. Slipping on some socks, I put on my sneakers.

As soon as I was done, I met Annabelle in her room. I dressed her in warm clothing, such as a long sleeve and comfortable, thick pants. Putting on her white, fluffy coat, I buttoned it up. Her smile was still a mile wide. "I can't wait to play in the snow." Annabelle cheered happily. A red hat, scarf, and gloves all matched and made Annabelle look even more like a child when I put them on her.

Grabbing her hand, we walked out into the living room once more. "Ready Annabelle?" Erin asked her, grabbing her free hand. Annabelle nodded and we made our way out the front door.

The cool wind hit my warm face as we stepped out. The white snow covered the ground and rooftops of the houses all throughout the block. It was like a winter wonderland. Annabelle slipped out from our grips, causing my heart to race in a panic, but calmed down when she stopped at the lawn. Hearing the crunch of the snow beneath her, she removed a glove and patted down the snow. She shuddered but smiled. "Annabelle..." I whispered. She giggled and fell into the snow, moving her arms back and forth. "Ms. Cayden told me that it you do this, you could make snow angels." Annabelle told me. I grinned whole-heartedly and turned my attention to Erin. Her face was flushed red. "I thought I could tell her things that she'd like to try." Erin confessed.

Alice popped into my mind. Even though she would get sick easily, she made an effort to go out into the snow with me since she knew I loved it. We would play, laugh, and look up at the stars. She would always make a snow angel and then ask me to describe it to her. My answer was always the same. "It looks like you... Beautiful. Just add wings to you and it's an exact look alike." She would smile and I would hold her cold hands.

"Daddy, can you tell me what my snow angel looks like?" Annabelle's voice interrupted my thoughts. She now stood in front of me, her bare hand, gloveless, as it touched mine. Looking over at the tiny snow angel, I noticed the wings, body, and head. "It's small... It has really big wings... and a pretty white dress to top everything off." I described to her. Annabelle smiled widely and tried to put her glove back on. I chuckled when I saw that she put it on backwards. Fixing it for her, she grabbed my hand and, whom she assumed was, Ms. Cayden's hand. We began to walk down the sidewalk and towards the park.