“For a ride,” you tell Andi mysteriously as you guide her to your car. You open the door for her, then you get into the car yourself and put in the CD. Andi laughs happily at the cheesy pop ballad collection that plays as you turn on the car and drive down to the local park. As dusk settles across the town, the two of you sing along, slightly off-key, to Chicago's “The Glory of Love” and “Arthur's Theme” by Christopher Cross.
Soon you arrive at the park. By this time most of the joggers and dog walkers have left, and the only people there are a few parents with their kids and a small group of grillers. You get out and open the door for Andi, handing her one of the cameras. “What's this for?”
“Take a picture of anything that looks interesting to you. Then we get them developed and look at them together,”you tell her right before taking a picture of her face.
Andi blinks for a moment as you put the camera back down, then she smiles playfully. “You're gonna have to answer for that, you know.” With that, she walks over to the small war memorial in the park and looks at it for a few minutes. Then she walks around it for a few moments before taking a picture of it. After she takes the picture, she notices you watching her. “So many people pass by this without looking at it. These people fought and died so we could hang out here in the park and do nothing. It's kinda beautiful and sweet and sad, ya know?”
You nod, awed by her though and the seriousness on her face. Then she smiles at you and snaps your picture. “Gotcha!”
“Hey!” you yell at her. She turns and runs towards the playground. You laugh and run after Andi, catching up with her just as she is climbing to the top of the tube slide. Quickly you dart to the end, getting a picture of her just as she comes out the slide.
“That's fun, ! You should give it a try,” Andi tells you. You smile and shake your head as you climb up to the top. However, your legs are a bit too long and you end up having to scoot down the slide. Andi laughs as she watches you, taking a couple of shots of you trying to unfold yourself out of the tube. You can't help but laugh with her as you see the grin on her face.
The moment you catch your footing, Andi grabs your hand. “Come on, there's something I want to show you.” |