A little girl is grocery shopping with her dad. She sees a soldier in uniform. His army fatigues are tucked into his long, steel-toed, shiny-black boots. When she see’s him, her bubbly smile is replaced with a stoic, mesmerizing glance. The black and white beads attached to the end of her braids dance alongside her cheeks as her feet move–brown foot over awkward brown foot–making their way to the soldier.
His green eyes are deep set, making his pale cheeks look more aged than their 27 years. He is skinny, and his perfectly curved hat matches both his shirt and pants. The eyes of the manager are fixed on the girl as well. His name tag says Andy, and he’s slowing losing interest in his conversation with the girls father, whose eyes are fixed on her 5-year old daughter.
Suddenly, her chubby arms sail
through the air, wrapping themselves around his knees. “Thank you for keeping us safe.” She’s hugging his knees, squeezing and rocking side to side while the noise in grocery store immediately comes to a halt. The soldier’s cheeks flush, and his head looks to the ceiling. The silence of the room causes the soldiers eyes reach for something to stare at, something to find focus that won’t notice the tears
threatening to flow.
But the soldier’s eyes only find the big, dark-brown eyes of the little girl hugging his legs. “You’re welcome,” he says. It was the crack in his voice that makes the scene overflow with emotion. The girl was almost at her dad, and her smile is beaming.
to the Photog who caught that moment on film!!!
