“At least it’s pretty out here,” she said.
I leaned over, kissing her forehead. “You don’t know what pretty is until you meet your firstborn.”
“Aw, Daddy. You’re always complimenting me.”
“A daughter should grow up knowing her worth.”
She smiled sideways. “You know, you’re a very handsome daddy, too.”
I chuckled. “Thanks.”
“I’m serious. I keep telling you to find a girlfriend. I don’t like seeing you lonely.”
“I’m okay. It’s only been a year and a half since your mom left. I’ll figure it out when I’m ready.”
“Mom’s such a bitch. Stupid pussy eating slut,” Abby said.
I chuckled. “Language. And don’t be so hard on her. She was always a little bi-curious, even when we were in college. She was just scared to figure herself out, and by the time she did, well… here we are.”
“Fine, if she wants to be a lesbian, I don’t care, but she never calls us or checks up on us, unless she wants fucking money, such a bitch.”
“Language, young lady!”
“Sorry.”
“Look, your mom is just busy with her new girlfriend. Give her some time. I know she wants to be in your life.”
“You’re too nice, defending her like that, giving her money.”
“Hey, I owe her: she gave me you. How could I ever hate her?”
“Daddy…”
I smiled and took a small sip of water, just enough to wet the inside of my mouth. “Here, drink up.”
“You should have a little more first.”
“No, you need your strength. I drank an entire bottle in the car on the way here.”
“Okay,” she said, taking the bottle and sipping until there was only a quarter-bottle left. “Can I have my phone back?” I handed it back. She held it up. “Still no service.”
“Baby, save the battery. We need it for the GPS.”
“There’s only 8% left.” She bit her lip and then opened her favorite messenger app. “Keith probably tried to text me. I bet he thinks I’m ignoring him. God, this is a nightmare. He’s never going to ask me out.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Baby, the battery.”
“Fine,” she said, handing it back. I put it away.
“First-world problems,” I said.
“Right now, we’re in a total third-world problem,” she complained.
“Come on, let’s get moving.”
We climbed up and started back along the path. We didn’t make it far. I froze a minute later, and my daughter ran right into my back.
“Ow, hey, come on,” she said.
“Don’t move,” I said.
Abby walked around me and froze too. We were both staring at the biggest bear either us had ever seen, which was technically the only bear either of us had ever seen. I wasn’t sure what the breed was, but it might have been a black bear with a little bit of white on it, or a dirty polar bear, or a panda.
“Oh my fucking god!” Abby said.
“Shh! Stay still.”
The bear stood up on its hind legs and let out a roar.
“Daddy, let’s run!”
“Maybe it’ll go away,” I said. “It’s probably like a T-Rex; its vision is based on movement.”
The bear came back down and started toward us.
“Ah, go away!” Abby said. She threw the bottle of water at him and then turned and ran into the woods. The bottle distracted the bear for only a moment as I turned and ran after my daughter.
I glanced back and saw the bear lumbering after us, surprisingly fast. I grabbed my daughter’s hand and took a turn, maneuvering between the tight trees, jumping over a log, pulling her after me. We saw a small stream ahead, and I went for it, splashing through and crossing to the other side.
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