Everyone knew that Lucy Messer was the सेब of her father’s eye, and he’d gladly walk through hot coals if it meant his daughter was सुरक्षित and happy. He’d do the same for his wife and he wasted no time in letting them know it.

But somehow he couldn’t bring himself to do this for her, even when her baby blues blinked pleadingly, and her tiny arms wrapped around his neck while she whispered numerous ‘pleases’ into his ear, he shook his head in refusal. His दिल broke as much as hers was for not being able to do it.

Even with Lindsay telling him that the chances of it happening again were slim to none, he wasn’t willing to take the chance, he didn’t care if the chance of history repeating itself were as low as one per-cent; he’d lock his little girl away until he was positive it couldn’t happen.

The गुलाबी bicycle stood in the corner of the room, the stabilizer wheels clean and shiny, and the tassels on the handlebars remained straight and untangled. A woven गुलाबी basket sat on the front, Lucy’s name woven in with white strands displayed the proud owner of the bike. A birthday present from Danny’s mother, a painful constant reminder of the सवाल Lucy had asked several times over.

He furiously swallowed the lump in his throat as he listened to Lindsay and Lucy talking in the bedroom across the hall.

“Grams कहा I’d keep falling off if I didn’t get it blessed” a six साल old sighed into her mother’s chest. “Why won’t Daddy take me?” she asked, और out of curiosity than annoyance at not getting her own way.

“It’s not that he doesn’t want to Luce, आप know Daddy will do anything आप want him too” Lindsay assured the small infant, stroking her blonde waves affectionately “One of Daddy’s friends, a small boy…” Lindsay hesitated as Danny stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb, his emotions all over his face. With a small nod in Lindsay’s direction, he entered Lucy’s bedroom and joined his wife and daughter on her bed.

“His name was Ruben” Danny took over, his hand in Lindsay’s silently asked for help if he couldn’t continue “he was ten years old” he smiled in memory of the young boy that used to reside across the hall from his old apartment. “He asked me to take him to get his bike blessed too, just like आप did”

Lindsay smiled reassuringly; even now she still didn’t know exactly what happened on that fateful day.

“He was so excited, he’d got the bike for his birthday too, his was red, even had his name on the front, just like yours has” Lucy nodded in understanding but kept quiet, even for her young age she was smart.

“We were on the way back from the church; Ruben was riding off in front, the bodega, बोडेगा down the block, some bad guy was stealing from it, the lady there, she fired her gun…” he hesitated as flashbacks ran through his mind.

“It’s OK Daddy” Lucy smiled as she crawled into his lap “If it makes आप sad, आप don’t have to tell me, and we don’t have to go”

Danny held her closer, but he needed to do this, for them as much as for him.

“The bullet, it hit Ruben, but I didn’t know, I sent him home, I saw him when I went to work” he continued “for a long time, I felt guilty, and I hurt a lot of people. I was so mad; having his bike blessed meant that he supposed to be सुरक्षित when he rode his bike, and that man made the lady hurt him”

“I’m sorry Daddy, I didn’t know else, I wouldn’t have asked” Lucy assured her father before she hopped of his knee and headed back into the front room, leaving her parents sat in silence in her small room.

“I want to do it, I want to take her” Danny assured Lindsay “I’m just scared it will happen to her”

“It won’t Danny, because I know आप won’t let it. I trust आप Danny, do what आप think is right” she kissed his cheek before leaving him to think while she made dinner.


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The only sounds at the रात का खाना तालिका, टेबल were the sounds of cutlery hitting crockery as plates were cleared; the occasional sound of a six साल old girl slurping स्पघेटी, स्पेगेटी broke through now and then.

A triumphant infant grinned, as she showed her clean plate, the sauce across her face did nothing to stall her smile. “Good girl honey” Lindsay offered as she swallowed her last bite. Standing up she collected the empty stained plates and carried them through to the kitchen.

“I’ll take you” Danny murmured quietly, he reached across the तालिका, टेबल and held her small hand in his “but आप gotta wash your face first, cos Daddy aint taking आप anywhere looking like that” he teased trying to ease his nervousness.

He heaved a deep breath as she took off running for the bathroom.

“I’m proud of you” the soft voice of his wife soothed him slightly.

“I’m still scared, but I promise आप Linds, I’ll do anything to keep her safe”

Lindsay nodded and handed over the knee and elbow pads along with the गुलाबी cycle हेलमेट “I know आप will” she answered confidently.

“Can आप help me Daddy?” spinning around on his heel, ready to bombard his daughter with her cycle helmet, he paused, gob smacked. Seeing Lucy trying to fasten the left shoulder strap of Lindsay’s Kevlar vest had him stunned speechless momentarily.

“Baby girl what are आप doing?” he stumbled out after moments of silence.

“I don’t want आप to be scared या mad” she replied sheepishly as she paused in her ministrations.

Lifting Lucy up onto the dining तालिका, टेबल he removed the Kevlar vest from her tiny frame, and tossed it onto the sofa “It’s in the job description” he smiled and carefully strapped the हेलमेट over her curls, before strapping the knee and elbow pads into place. “Go and give your mommy a kiss” he told her playfully as he lifted her back to the floor.

He’d text her when they’d reached the church, and again when they were on there way home, she trusted they were safe, she couldn’t chase him up, not today, he needed to do this under his own steam, and he needed to know that she trusted him fully.

Her phone buzzed alive with a new text message. A simple order to look out the window, confused she obeyed, confusion turned into happiness, a smile showed the tears filling her eyes were happy ones as she watched Lucy cycle from the आग hydrant to the पेड़ several feet away and back again. Her laugh filtered up to the third floor window while Danny waved, sheepishly yet proud of his accomplishment.

“Can we have ice cream Mommy?” Lucy yelled, as she tipped her head back to see her mother.

“It might melt before आप get up here” she called back playfully. She laughed hard as she watched their little girl abandon her bike in the middle of the sidewalk, in favor of using her legs to clamber up the front steps with a giggle. She heard Danny growl ‘Lucy’ as he grabbed her bike before she closed the window, and added sprinkles to the three bowls of pre-prepared ice cream she’d stored in the freezer. She’d just finished adding the स्ट्रॉबेरी, स्ट्राबेरी syrup when the rest of her small family pushed their way noisily into their small apartment. And even though their shoes, and bike riding gear had been abandoned for someone to trip over in the hall she’d never been और proud.