About 6 or 7 weeks ago, my daughter told me to "book the night" as she had a surprise. I said ok and didn't give it much thought. Last Sunday was Father's day. Not much happened. I didn't say anything. But don't deny I was pretty sad. Last night rolled around. My daughter asked if I was excited about our "daddy daughter date". Yes. I was. My daughter took forever getting ready. She asked me several times if she looked ok. It was an awakening to see my little girl wasn't a little girl anymore. We got in the car. She plugged the address into the gps. I followed the directions and drove accordingly. As we were being seated, the hostess asked if we were celebrating anything special. My daughter told her we were celebrating Father's day. I held back tears behind my sun glasses. As we perused the menu, my daughter offered suggestions as to what she thought I would like. She boldly stated I could order whatever I wanted. We sat in a corner table away from the crowd. We enjoyed a great meal and an even better conversation. The bill arrived. My daughter reached for it. She looked at it and seemed a bit puzzled. She eventually said, dad, I've never paid for food in a place that wasn't a fast food place. How much do I tip? I chuckled in my head and explained it to her. She proudly handed the server her debit card when he returned. My daughter has had a few struggles recently. She has made some poor decisions of late. Such is the life of a teenage girl trying to make her way through life. Last night, that was all washed away. If even if it was for just one night. Thanks kid. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. And ya. I told her that...
