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It takes her exactly two minutes and seven seconds to decide to come meet me on the porch And as she walks up the path to my home, I take her in for the first time since I met her last year

She doesn’t sone Re and flowing down her front And she’s tall too Much taller than the little girl Ia fancy black coat with fuzzy mittens and hat to match Her dress is a dark red, as are her shoes She even has a purse that she clutches in her hands as she walks towards me and then stops at the bottom step

"Hi, Ford" It co She takes off her mitten and wipes her eyes "I’m sorry"

"You don’t need to be sorry," I tell her back "It’s a hard thing to do to leave the people you love"

She nods her head but the tears stream down her cheeks "I don’t knohat you want froer But I’m just not sure I can be that person" She sniffs and wipes her tears again "I don’t want to disappoint you, Ford Because if you left me, or dropped me off somewhere…" She shakes her head and more tears fall down her face

"That’s not what Ja you home To me"

She reround so she can wipe her eyes I grab her present, then stand up and walk down the stairs, picking herback down on a lower step "You wanna knohat’s new for h to get her to step forward and then sit down on the step next toher coat close to keep warirlfriend, remember?"

That makes her smile and nod "You were so clueless"

"And you were so s for the lessons I learned from you, Sasha Because this year, I have a wife, two children, and another on the way" She looks up at me, surprised "No You, Sasha You’re the one on the way"

"Oh" She tucks her hands into her pockets and takes a deep breath "I don’t knohat you want frohter I don’t really follow directions And I’ to bend" She looks up atme stuck Does thatyou to act a certain way I just want you to find yourself, Sasha Find the girl you want to be, instead of the girl you left behind, as Rook would say"

"Rook, the girl-who-is-a-friend?"

"Yeah" I laugh "Rook She’s inside waiting for you So is everyone else My h’s father My friends and children We’re all here for you, kid I told you I don’t celebrate Christmas But now I have kids So I do And I don’t have parties, either But today you came, so I felt a celebration was in order"