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“I’ve been dying to hike ever since we got here,” I said and was pleased when Cia seemed as eager about the idea as I did.
Ten minutes later we set off with a water bottle each and big smiles. I was holding Cia’s hand and she didn’t object. It was crazy to think how much she had moved mentally in the last forty-eight hours.
“I think I already have an idea for a painting,” Cia said and whistled happily.
“Wanna tell me about it?”
“Nope, I’m just starting to see it in my head… you’ll have to wait for the finished painting.”
We walked for about an hour and spoke mostly about nature and my memories of being a recruit and doing survival drills in the forest.
“They really had you walk through ice-cold water?”
“Yes. Carrying our bags above the water. One of my pals lost his balance and got ducked under with his backpack.”
“Oh no.”
I grinned. “He had no dry clothes for days.”
“How is that funny? Didn’t he get sick?”
“It’s not funny, but shit like that happens in the army and you learn how to deal with it.”
“Yeah, I can relate to the dealing with shit part,” she said. “I spent my first four days as a homeless person on a park bench and it rained every night.”
“And you were only a child.”
“I was fourteen and scared shitless.”
“Was there something specific that made you run away?”
I knew the answer instinctively from the look on her face.Yes, there had been something specific, but she closed down on me and wouldn’t answer.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said.
When she tried to walk away, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my arms. “Hey, I’m sorry, but whatever happened, it’s over now… no one is going to hurt you anymore. I promise”
If I had done this yesterday, I know she would have pushed me away, but today she didn’t. Instead she stood passively and allowed me to hold her tight.
“Do you want to go back?” I asked her after a minute. There was no reason to push my luck, and I understood that she was already far out of her comfort zone.
When we walked back I said, “I almost forgot, that guy Mark came over to talk to me while you were drawing. We agreed that you two girls can have a play date after dinner tonight.”
“Did you now?” she said dryly.
“Yes, I wanted to ask you but he said that a father doesn’t ask a five-year-old for her opinion and that it would be fun for both of you.”
“Huh.”
“You wanna hear something funny?”
“What?”
“He literally asked me if you play nice.” I laughed. “As if you were some sort of danger to his daughter or a dog that might bite his precious poodle.”
Cia rolled her eyes. “That guy takes this role-playing thing way too seriously.”
“I know, but now that we are getting used to it, though, it’s not so bad.” I pulled her under my arm and used my knuckles to rub the top of her head. “Although you’ll never feel like a daughter to me… more like a fun little sister.”
