where people were weaving flower crowns.

“Look, Cora,” I said, nudging her. “Want to give it a try?”

She shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. “I guess.”

She sat down at the stall, her fingers fumbling with the delicate flowers and stems.

I could see her frustration building as her first attempt fell apart.

Andrew stood nearby, watching with a skeptical expression. When the second crown collapsed in her hands, he let out a low chuckle.

“Maybe this isn’t for you. Stick to things you’re good at.”

Cora’s face turned crimson.

She stood abruptly and knocked over a nearby display of floral arrangements. Pots and vases crashed to the ground, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

The vendor rushed over, her face red with anger. “Who’s going to pay for this mess?”

“Not me,” Andrew said.

“This wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t dragged into this nonsense.”

The vendor looked at me expectantly, and I sighed, pulling out my wallet to pay for the damages. I turned to Cora, but she was already storming off toward the edge of the fairground.

Andrew’s glare pinned me in place. “Do you really think you know better how to raise my daughter?

Your so-called femininity has already caused enough problems.”

“All I wanted was to show her that life doesn’t always have to be so rigid.”

He stepped closer, his voice lowering. “Do you know what it’s like to lose everything? To watch someone you love disappear because they weren’t strong enough to survive?

I’m trying to make sure that doesn’t happen to her.”

The pain in his eyes caught me off guard, but before I could respond, he straightened, his face hardening again.

“Stay away from us,” he said, his voice cold, before turning and walking off in the direction Cora had gone.

I stood there, the weight of his words sinking in. Andrew wasn’t just angry. He was scared.

He was building walls around himself and Cora, trying to shield them both from a world he no longer trusted.

As I watched him disappear into the crowd, I wondered if there was a way to reach him. For that moment, though, I knew I’d only scratched the surface of whatever pain he was carrying.

***

For days, there was no sign of Cora. The silence from next door felt heavy, and I assumed that Andrew had tightened his grip, keeping her on house arrest.

I tried to focus on my tasks, but my thoughts always drifted back to her.

Late one evening, as rain poured in steady sheets outside, a knock startled me.

I found Cora standing on my porch, drenched from head to toe.

“Dad doesn’t understand me. It’s all fishing, basketball, and rules. You showed me that life could be different,” she said, her voice trembling as she stepped inside.

I led her to the kitchen, grabbing a towel to dry her.

I placed a warm mug in front of her.

“I miss my mom. She’s been gone for years, but sometimes… it feels like it just happened.”

My heart ached for her. “I’m sorry, Cora.

I didn’t know.”

“I feel like I’ll never be what my dad wants me to be,” she admitted, her fingers tracing circles on the mug. “He wants me to be tough, but I’m tired of being tough all the time.”

I reached out, placing my hand over hers. “Your father loves you, Cora.

But I think he’s struggling too. Maybe he’s scared of losing you like he lost your mom.”

She didn’t reply, but her shoulders sagged as if letting go of a weight she’d carried for too long.

***

The next morning, I met Andrew at his door.

“I don’t have time for this,” he said, his tone clipped.

“Make time,” I said firmly. “Cora’s hurting.

She needs you to hear her.”

He hesitated before finally speaking. “Cora’s mother drowned because she didn’t know how to swim. I’m trying to make sure Cora’s strong enough to handle anything,” he said, his voice tight.

“I can’t lose her too.”

“I’m sorry, Andrew. But Cora’s already strong. Your fears shouldn’t keep her from being happy.”

He didn’t respond immediately but eventually nodded.

After a pause, he sighed. “Her birthday’s coming up. I… I don’t know how to make it special for her.

I’ve never been good at this. Could you… help?”

I smiled softly. “I think I know exactly what she needs.”

***

On Cora’s birthday, I organized a small party at my house, inviting a few of her school friends.

She beamed when I handed her a wrapped box with the dress she’d been eyeing in the shop window. When she put it on, her joy was radiant, lighting up the entire room.

Andrew stayed back, watching from the doorway. After a while, he stepped closer.

“She looks so much like her mother.

I think… she would’ve wanted this for her. Thank you. For everything.

I think I’ve been holding on to the wrong things.”

“Maybe it’s time to hold on to her instead.”

Andrew suggested that the three of us spend more time together. It felt like a promise.

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