Sunday night before bed, I was a bit angry at my daughter for keeping me up late. She stopped me and started to share what she saw on her way home on the school bus the other day.

She was looking outside the window when the bus was making a stop. She noticed a black Tesla just like mine parked by the sidewalk. A father got out of the car to pick up his daughter, one of her fellow school bus mates. As they met eyes, the father formed a heart shape with his arms with a big smile on his face.

My daughter stopped, “Dad, I thought it was you… I missed you…”

We both started crying. I used to walk her to the bus stop in the morning and pick her up in the evening. I always made her heart shape while she was on the bus even when she wasn’t looking. This was totally our thing. I was the happiest dad.

But I haven’t been able to do so since my work was relocated to a different city. I have been only seeing her on weekends. My daughter has nagged me about when I will stop leaving her on weekdays. I always used it as an opportunity to educate her about the life priority of working on cool things. Little did I know the huge void that I had left behind in her heart.

“I always look for black Tesla on the school bus and wish it would be you. Dad, can you not leave tomorrow?”

My heart was broken.