Baby Girl

Baby Girl


On a sunny, spring day in May
An eager father awaited for the new arrival
He had hoped for a boy
Instead he gained another daughter
But he knew that this one was special.
He put his finger into her tiny fist
And squeezed her hand three times
As a way to say "I Love You!"

She grew up, being Daddy's baby girl
He'd bounced her on his knee
Called her his little sly fox.
She'd look up at him with big blue eyes
And give him the most amazing smile
Oh, how proud was he!

A few short years later,
A terrible tragedy had befallen them when
The mother had lost the battle to cancer.
She was the little girl's best friend
And the beloved wife of the father.

The little girl clung to her father
As he was the unfortunate
Bearer of terrible news.
They held each other closely
To soothe each others' pain
Together, they squeezed each others' hand
As a way of sharing love.

They became better friends;
The little girl becoming
The apple of his eye.
She did anything and everything for him;
She was his sidekick; his "peach".

She then became a little rascal
At the age of eighteen.
She thought she knew everything
But rather knew very little.
Daddy tried to warn her
But she stubbornly refused to listen.

But he continued to love her
And tried to teach her from wrong to right.
She began to realize her mistakes;
There were many hardships,
But yet - he was still proud of her/

Then the young woman fell in love
And was soon engaged
To another important man of her life.
Daddy liked him instantaneously,
Said he was perfect for his baby girl.

The day came at last
When he held her hand
As Daddy walked his baby girl
Down the aisle of a small Methodist Church.
Tears fell from her face as he faced her,
Whispering, "I'm so proud of you..."
He gave her a kiss on a cheek
And squeezed her hand 3 times
And gave her to her beloved groom.

Then a couple months later,
The father rushed to the hospital
To see his newly born grandson.
And to his great pleasure
The baby boy was so perfect
So angelic; so full of life.
He looked at his baby girl with tears in his eyes
And said, "Thank you for this beautiful gift!"
And he squeezed her hand three times yet again
To let her know how proud he was of her.

Then seven months later,
The woman recieved a phone call
From one of her sisters,
"Please come down - We really need you..."
As it turns out, Daddy was dying
From a type of a deadly cancer.
The woman was in shock:
She couldn't believe his time
Was soon coming to an end.

She rushed to his side
Helping him in everyway she could
Spending most of her time
Doing what they loved best:
Being father and daughter

Then things turned for worse
Daddy started to get frustrated
Started to blame himself
For letting things get out of control,
For failing and for giving up.
He started to be nasty towards her
And she took it to heart.
She thought he didn't want her to be near him
When really, he didn't want her
To see him in such agony .

On the last day - he was oblivious
Tied to tubes, barely able to talk.
His Baby Girl sat by his side
Squeezed his feeble hands three times
She knew he was about to go
And she wanted to make sure
That he knew she loved him so much
She wanted to make him proud;
She wanted to make him happy.

Just before she left to go home,
She went to say goodbye and goodnight.
She squeezed his hand three times
And said, "Daddy - be free, and remember:
I love You!"

Suddenly, he started screaming
The best that he could and repeatedly
Said, "I LOVE YOU!!!" - squeezed
Her hand for the last three times...

A few, short hours later
Into the wee hours of the night,
The phone rang loudly in the sleepy silence.
The woman awoke, dreaded the shrilling sound
And got ready quickly,
For she knew it was over...

When she got there - it was true
He had taken his last breath.
He was forever gone and in peace.
She ran to his room; to his side
Kissed his still-warm forehead
And squeezed his hand FOUR times
And said, "I'll love you forever..."

That Baby Girl knew she had to grow up.
Daddy went so suddenly
Exstinguished like a candle flame.
She knows that life is so short
She wants to live life fully, without any regrets
And she'll do that with the help
From her beloved father and best friend.
His spirit will go on inside of her - forever and ever
Because I'm his Baby Girl...

Dedicated to: David V. Schlegel (1935-2005) R.I.P.