Treasure Hunting

 Our feet crunched the browning leaves as we trekked through the park. The crisp, cool morning air was more enlivening than my cup of coffee had been. Thanks to my jean jacket, I was comfortable as we continued to an old spot that only I knew of.

My hands are warmed not by mittens but by the hands of love. One was much fuller and form-fitting than the other. I looked to the woman whose hand daintily clasped mine and received a smile that parted her red lips. Her curly, blonde locks bobbed as we walked along. Sicily is my guiding ship and my harbor all in one. This voyage with her set sail a few years back and is promised to be lifelong. I’ve never known a love like that… A love that only spurns more love… more life.

A gentle tug on my other arm pulled me away. In looking down, my eyes fell on the other little lady holding my hand. Hers was dwarfed in mine, yet she stayed there in her security. Her bluebell eyes twinkled in gazing at me as her blonde locks bobbed just like her mother’s. Maisie’s little plush jacket looked cozy as her cheeks reddened. She joined us on our journey about three years ago. The day I met her was the happiest and scariest day of my life…

I held this tiny pink baby in my arms and realized I was a father. Not that I hadn’t thought about it before this. In theory and preparation over those nine months, it all seemed wonderful, and it was. Truly. She was and is my world. Suddenly, here she was. Not an image on a monitor or the bump in my wife’s tummy, but a baby in my arms. My baby. My daughter… I immediately loved this little girl more than I ever loved anything in my life. A love that rivaled Sicily. Then the responsibility hit me. I’m not afraid of extra expenses. Money is just paper after all… No, my problem was in the fact that I was responsible for being her Dad.

Dad and Father are two different things. I have a father, but I never had a dad. In fact, I had a mother but not a mom… It was too big of a responsibility for my parents. I was too much for them. At three days old, they left me at an orphanage. Realizing what I faced with the eighth wonder of the world named Maisie, the gravity was a bit overwhelming.

“Lincoln,” Sicily’s gentle voice broke through my fear. I turned to her and away from the hospital window. “Do you want to talk about it?” At first, I wasn’t sure if I could, but I pushed through the pain as this sweet woman had taught me to do.

“She’s beautiful, Sis.”

“Yeah, she is.” Her proud smile gave my heart an extra beat. “Is it everything you thought it would be?”

“And more… So much more.”

“Are you happy?” Her glowing but tired face told me she’d never felt more bliss.

“Absolutely,” I assured. “And terrified.”

“Because of your parents.” She knew. Of course, she did. “We talked about this before… What made the fear resurface?”

“Holding her for real… What if I turn out like them? What if I’m not who she deserves?”

“Oh, Lincoln,” she comforted and patted the hospital bed invitingly. I sat next to her as she requested, and she took my hand. Those exhausted but loving bluebell eyes peered into mine. “My sweet husband, you have a heart ten times the size of those who walked out on you. It’s so big that you adopt everyone you meet as family. It was one of the first reasons I fell for you, and knowing you as well as I do, it is impossible for you to disappoint this little girl or me.” She was so blurry for all the tears in my eyes. I love this woman. “I will be right here every step of the way to help you parent her but know that I couldn’t have chosen a better man to be her father.”

“Daddy,” Maisie’s voice brought me back to the chilly morning we were in. “Where’s the treasure?”

“Well, I’ll have to look at my map again, but I’m sure it’s just beyond these trees.” I let go of their hands to take out the yellowed paper from my jacket. A childhood drawing rarely stood the test of time, but this one was special. It was tattered and aged, but the general information was still legible. Then again, a big red X was hard not to see. Besides, what’s a voyage or childhood without searching for buried treasure?

I may not have had parents growing up since I spent my entire childhood at the orphanage, but I aim to give Maisie everything I never had, starting with a loving Dad. This treasure had been planted ten years ago, and it was time to dig it up. I guess you could call it a time capsule, though I hadn’t planned for it to be one exactly.

After I turned thirteen, my caregivers suggested I get rid of my toys… They were the only possessions I had besides my clothes, and I have a real problem parting with stuff… Or at least I did. Sicily has helped me with that a bit. She thinks it’s another effect of my parents, but anyway. I couldn’t see handing off anything to someone else, so I stuck it in a box and snuck off one night.

I went to my favorite childhood place, the park. I loved it when the administrators took us there. Figuring no one would find it there and it wasn’t too far to walk, I recorded my steps from the slide to the oak tree then the ten paces where it was to be buried. I dug deep into the sandy ground with just my bare hands and left my treasure. Meaning to find it when I finally left that orphanage, my thirteen-year-old self never considered how it would look for a grown man to dig up a spot of the park for some toys he left there. If it was even still there.

Hoping some other kid hadn’t dug it up, my little family continued. Sicily understood the importance of this, and I think she was just as excited as I was. This was the only piece of my past I could show her. There were no pictures or family heirlooms… This box of toys was all I had.

Twenty paces from the slide was a wide oak that only looked stronger than it was ten years ago, and I like to think that I am, too.

“Count with my to ten, Maisie,” I encouraged. One step at a time, we all numbered them. Ten. How magical it felt to think my things were just below my shoes.

 Our excitement built as we all began digging. It didn’t take long before we reached the correct depth, but to my dismay, we didn’t find anything. Disappointed, I sighed and shook my head.

“You know, I thought of something earlier. At thirteen, surely your feet weren’t as big as they are now… Maybe we went too far?” Sicily was so smart.

“You’re right,” I acknowledged. “Your feet are probably closer to the size mine were then… would you do the honors?”

“I’d love to.” She smiled and walked back to the oak. “Ok, one more time Maisie. Count to ten for me.”

“One, two,” she began. I counted with her to ensure we made it to ten and felt the love of our family envelope me. I will always cherish this moment.

At ten, Sicily stopped and daintily pointed her toe to the spot of ground we needed to try. It was a sizable difference from our original spot. She stepped out of the way, and I dug into the ground once more.

 In reliving the night that I buried it, I felt the wet, sandy dirt under my nails as I went deeper and deeper. Eventually, I did strike a hard, plastic box. My heart received a jolt, and my face dawned a smile. My wife gasped, and our daughter jumped up and down.

There it was. My treasure.

I unearthed the box and set it on the ground in front of me. My eyes watered as I beheld it for the first time in ten years. So much had changed since then… My life was so wonderfully full now, compared to how empty it was back then.

Impatiently, Maisie pulled the lid off to see what was inside.

“Maisie!” Sicily lightly scolded, but I only shook my head.

“It’s ok,” I allowed and watched as my new treasure discovered my old ones. How much dearer to me was she than they.

"Daddy, it's a box of toys!" Her little eyes widened with excitement. Watching her gave me much more delight than seeing those old things again. “A bear!” She pulled the ratty Mr. Teddy from the box and gave him a squeeze.

Seeing her hold the toy that comforted me most nights of my childhood gave me nostalgia and pride. Pride in how far I’d come. Pride in my future. Pride in my little girl, the best treasure of all.

“Daddy, can I keep him?”

“Absolutely. He’s yours now." Her happiness erupted into a giggle as my wife wrapped her arms around my middle.

“I’m surprised you could give it up so easily.”

“It’s only a bear… You and she are the real treasures."