I Picked up My 5-Year-Old from Kindergarten When She Suddenly Said, ‘Daddy, Why Didn’t the New Daddy Pick Me up like He Usually Does?’

“Hey, babe,” Sophia said, and I could hear the stress in her voice. “Can you do me a huge favor? I can’t pick up Lizzy today.

There’s this meeting with the executive team that I absolutely cannot miss. Can you get her instead?”

I checked the time. 3:15 p.m.

If I left now, I could make it.

“Yeah, sure. No problem!”

“Thank you so much. You’re a lifesaver.”

I told my boss I had a family emergency and drove straight to the kindergarten.

When I walked through those doors, Lizzy’s face lit up like a firework. God, I missed these moments. I got so caught up in work that I forgot how good it felt just to see my daughter smile.

“Daddy!” She ran to me, her little sneakers squeaking on the floor.

I crouched down and pulled her into a hug.

“Hey, sweetheart. Ready to go home?”

“Uh-huh!”

I grabbed her pink jacket off the hook — the one with the cartoon bears on the sleeves — and started helping her into it. She was chattering about something her friend Emma said during snack time, and I was smiling, just soaking it all in.

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