Observed a father and his daughter in a Dunkin’ Donuts a little before six this morning.

They looked so in sync and happy to be together. You don’t see that in public so often.

The father looked to be in his thirties and had a neatly trimmed beard. He was wearing a T-shirt. He was drinking a large coffee. When he left, he put on a black quilted jacket with a hood.

The girl, who also had a drink, had black hair (like her father) and was wearing a jersey and slacks, both of the same material (cotton or flannel?), both red. She was animated and was happily chattering away. I would guess she was around seven years old. Her legs were dangling; her feet didn’t reach the floor.

The father would break into a laugh. He was giving his daughter his full attention. You could sense how much they were enjoying each other’s company.

When they got up to leave, I almost felt disappointed — they had made the place especially cheerful. The father zipped up her coat. It was light blue polyester. She was clutching a rag doll.

I watched them through the big plate glass windows as they left and turned a corner, chattering away, and disappeared from sight.

They were like two best friends.

—  Roger W. Smith

    May 6, 2018