when dad came home to ohio after a long time, and lolo smiled at him like I had never seen before. Very quiet, obviously happy, I remembered lolo was a dad too.
he would always call me darling or princess
lolo hated vegetables
running to hug him after he came home from work, my tiny face smashed into his soft belly
driving far to Amish country in Ohio and seeing the rolling fields of soybeans
watching the Jurassic Park movies outside, with a projector playing it on a white sheet
sneaking out of Miranda's house and laying down in the amphitheater, staring at the stars
that one summer in 2022? 2023? where my life finally felt like it all made sense
picking up Natylye every day in high school just to hang out
playing games with the Hayman family
walking to the downtown Christmas market in Chicago, seeing the Macy's store windows, and then hearing the two most beautiful singers on the train platform