Aaronās presents for Maureenās birthday are neatly wrapped in simple, golden paper and tied together with a sparkly ribbon. Each item has been engraved with her initials, although you can find her full name on the clip of her new fountain pen. Underneath the ribbon, a colorful cardboard birthday card has been slipped, roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper. In neat cursive, you can read:
My dear, sweet Maureen, You must know by now that words have never been your fatherās strongest point, and I will not try to reinvent prose but rather tell you about a memory that came back to me as I started the first draft to this letter. Iām not sure you remember what cabbage ball is, but you must remember that your grand parents have a wonderful garden, where they grew cabbages that year. (Somehow they stopped after this). You were too little to remember, but Mark and I had been playing with one of those vegetables that has been forsaken by taste. And, although he might have not been higher than a dining table, your brother had kicked into the cabbage with all the strength he had into him and send it flying right into your face. Iām sure he remembers being yelled at. Youāll find a picture of the black eye that resulted from the incident in one of your presents (the flat package). It was truly not the most fortunate event of your beautiful life, but I cannot recall having been, in my whole life, ever as worried about another human being. This marked the end of cabbage ball and the start of a long list of moments that got me just as worried as I was that day. Even now, as I write this letter, I worry about what the future has in store for you, but I am filled with pride and joy as I see how far youāve come. You are the smartest young woman I know and the best daughter a father could have hoped for, that I could have hoped for. You make me proud and I know that whatever comes next, you will keep on making me proud. Perhaps, then, do I ought to stop worrying so much about my daughterās well being then. May life reward you with abundantly, as you are the best and deserve the best. Your loving dad.
