She crackled with laughter as she went up in the air. Her long curly strands dancing with joy. Her lips curled to bring out her biggest smile. For him. The most beautiful smile.
Eyes shut. She felt her father’s soft push sending her 8 years old self, soaring on the red swing. Soaring. Her new word for the day. The red swing. Her favorite corner of the community park. She could see Jaya auntie’s balcony as she went high. Pigeons around the water bowl. She felt the chilly air fill her lungs. Burst of energy.
He saw her uninhibited and happy for the first time. Saw the bubbling bursting child. For the first time in a year of knowing her. He saw her forgetting the complicacies of the daily life. He would wait for her to get sated and come back to him. Will untangle her tousled hair. She would laugh at his obvious display of affection. But it won’t matter, because she would try to absorb every sensation, as his fingers move along her hair. What he calls the strands of crazy.