C5
He shook his head in disbelief at her suggestion – surprised that she wanted to leave already despite the fact that she hadn't done half of what they had originally planned. "But we haven't finished visiting all of our favorite places yet... I think that there are still quite a few things that we need to see first..."
"No," she insisted. "I'm tired... I don't feel like waiting for another hour or two before riding the train... Besides... I just told you that I'm hungry... And I really, really want that piece of chocolate cake that I asked you for earlier!"
Her father looked at her quizzically. He was aware that she liked to eat sweets every so often, but he wasn't sure why she was so insistent on having a piece of chocolate cake right then; it seemed like an odd request given how hot it was outdoors...
"Do you mean to tell me that you suddenly developed an interest for sugar?" he teased gently, trying to find out what was on her mind. "Or maybe you're just trying to use your sweet voice to make yourself look cute?"
Maya frowned, disappointed by the jest... But then she brightened up immediately upon realizing what was actually making her ask for another slice of cake so insistently. "I don't care if I am using my sweet voice," she replied defiantly, "and I don't have a clue what you're talking about..."
He chuckled as he looked at his daughter in admiration. She certainly knew exactly what she wanted in life and had the determination and willpower required to achieve whatever goal she had in mind. She reminded him of his late wife in so many ways and had even inherited her fiery spirit in many respects. It was refreshing and exciting for him to spend time with his little girl again, and he loved seeing the woman in her before she grew up and became a real adult.
However, he knew full well that his daughter had a long way to go before becoming a mature and responsible woman. It would take time, effort and commitment on his part in order for him to raise her properly. At the same time, he found comfort in knowing that he could rely on her unconditional love and support, and it brought him much peace of mind to know that the two of them would always be close no matter what happened in between...
"All right," he said, smiling warmly at his daughter who was staring back at him with her large, expressive eyes. "Let's get the hell out of here..."
They boarded a bus and took it downtown to explore the area before deciding to return home via subway... The idea was that they were simply running errands, but deep down inside he hoped that they might come across a nice place where they could take a quick nap together before returning home to enjoy dessert later that night... He had promised his little girl an enjoyable afternoon filled with surprises, adventures and new discoveries, but unfortunately most of his plans never worked out as expected because of her stubbornness. Therefore, he didn't want to disappoint her anymore than necessary; especially not today when she had been acting extra clingy and overly affectionate towards him...
When they reached the city center, Maya began to point at various landmarks as they passed by. Although she couldn't read or write yet, she enjoyed learning about new cities from her dad during their weekend visits – which meant that she had to memorize as much as possible about each location. It amused her tremendously to see new buildings, monuments and statues from the windows of the public transportation system as they traveled from one landmark to another, and she was eager to share her observations with him. However, she wasn't quite as interested in visiting all of those tourist destinations which were popular with foreigners or locals alike. Instead, she preferred to explore areas where only local people usually went since these neighborhoods offered her unique glimpses into what made certain sections of town special.
"Hey Dad," she called out to him as they stood in line to buy tickets for the subway system, "do you remember that place near the waterfront where you bought me my souvenir teddy bear?"
"Hmm... I'm afraid that I can't recall exactly where that is..." he responded nonchalantly. "I'm sorry..."
His heart sank when she announced that she was sick of taking rides on buses and subways, and she decided instead to walk from one end of town to the other – even if it was on foot! As soon as she realized what she had just suggested to him, his stomach churned nervously for a second. He knew very well that her decision probably wouldn't be wise, especially given how hot it had become outside lately, but he also understood that his daughter had a stubborn streak a mile wide... He sighed heavily in defeat as he looked down at her and nodded his head.
The bus ride ended up lasting almost thirty minutes longer than usual due to a lengthy stop at a shopping mall for Maya to buy a few pairs of shorts and T-shirts in preparation for the upcoming summer season... His daughter always seemed to have money in abundance whenever they visited any sort of retail outlet, and he wondered where she got such a big supply of cash without him noticing anything. Of course, her mother never seemed to notice anything either, but that didn't keep him from worrying about her daughter's financial well being...
After buying their tickets, he held the pole in front of him while she sat directly behind him on the seat, leaning against him in order to remain cool. He placed both arms around her tiny frame, hugging her close to him, holding her tightly, whispering softly in her ear as he did.
"Honey, I'm sorry..." he said sincerely. "I guess that we should turn around..."
She shook her head, pouting as she rested her cheek on top of her father's shoulder. "Don't worry," she whispered lovingly. "We'll be back home shortly..."
A minute later, he saw that familiar sight: an approaching train, stopping momentarily after the signal changed from red to yellow, allowing passengers to board – which meant that they would be able to catch the next available subway car before it left the platform. The doors slid open automatically once the train arrived at its final destination, and Maya hopped off the bus quickly, followed by her dad. They hurried inside the subway car and waited until everyone else was seated before closing the door firmly and pulling the emergency brake... They took the first empty seats that they could find and waited patiently for the subway to arrive at the next station. When the train finally arrived, they stepped out of the car and walked towards the entrance to the platform...
Once they stepped out onto the platform, they stood in line to buy tickets, paid in advance and then proceeded to wait in anticipation for the train to arrive at the station where they lived. They didn't speak much during their trip back since they were tired and hungry; neither wanted to disturb the others' sleep by asking questions or telling jokes. Once the train finally slowed down and came to a complete stop, they stepped out of the subway car, walked along side of it and exited at the station closest to them. A moment later, he helped her climb up to the sidewalk on the opposite platform so that she could run over to the nearest bench to rest while he waited for the light to change so that he could cross the street.
"Daddy," she said quietly as she stretched out on the wooden bench, resting her face in one hand, "I'm sleepy... Can we please go home now?"
He smiled as he sat beside her. He was glad to know that she felt so good afterwards, but he was concerned that she was already exhausted from the activities of the day. "Sure thing," he answered. "But why don't you try and wake yourself up first? Maybe take a short nap."
She shook her head vehemently. "No..." she insisted adamantly. "If I fall asleep right now, I won't want to wake up tomorrow morning..."
"Well," he shrugged, "maybe you should just relax and doze off a bit then..."
"No..." she insisted, shaking her head again. "I need something sweet right away..."
Her dad sighed heavily at her response, knowing that his plans were going to go awry – unless he gave in and let her have a bite of dessert after all. There was a restaurant located nearby, and it sold cakes and pastries among other things; perhaps she was thinking of ordering a slice of chocolate cake. He looked forward to enjoying another slice himself since it had been too long since they last had it for breakfast that Sunday morning. Nevertheless, he was more than happy to oblige his little girl. After all, it was important that he show that he cared for her feelings and concerns. But he was still curious as to why she had suddenly developed an interest in sugar. He had never seen this happen before...
The thought crossed his mind that it was entirely possible that she had been reading too many books on health and nutrition that contained references to artificial sugars. Perhaps that was why she had been eating so many fruit smoothies recently – because she had been craving some sort of substitute for chocolate cake... That was what he assumed at least, although it seemed highly unlikely to him. In fact, he knew better than anyone how much she hated drinking fruit juices... So if she wanted to drink a juice instead of a milkshake, he would make a point of making her a vanilla shake instead, using ice cream instead of frozen yogurt... And she loved those! It wasn't uncommon for her to have three or four of those creamy treats per week, and he knew full well how much sugar she consumed. Besides, he was sure that she would tell him if she were planning to consume any of those artificial sweeteners...
Nevertheless, he decided that he would play dumb anyway and act surprised when she told him what had really inspired her sudden desire for chocolate cake. She had probably asked for that particular kind of food as a way to reward herself for being such an obedient girl... Her mom had always done the same when Maya behaved poorly in the past. For example, on several occasions, Maya had acted up in class and caused problems with her teachers, which led her mother to threaten that she would give her daughter a spanking. If Maya had been smart enough to avoid getting punished that time, it wouldn't have happened again; but it never stopped her from testing her limits again in the future. Sometimes Maya's mom had actually followed through on her threat by punishing her by giving her a hard smack on the buttocks. Maya never forgot any of those punishments; especially when her bottom stung from the sting of pain.
In any case, he couldn't deny his little girl's request as easily as he could have refused to pay attention to the woman sitting behind them while they were riding the subway, or the man who tried to flirt with his daughter by staring at her chest... The latter incident had taken place less than two weeks ago, and he was still annoyed whenever he thought about the encounter. Maya had turned around when the man touched her, causing him to pull his arm back abruptly and apologize profusely for inadvertently touching his little girl's boob. Although his daughter hadn't complained or said anything about it afterwards, he was convinced that she noticed the whole exchange between them – otherwise she wouldn't have reacted the way that she did... However, he was also certain that his little girl didn't realize that he was angry about it. She had no idea whatsoever as to how dangerous strangers could be sometimes...
Nonetheless, he promised himself that there would come a day when the world became safer for children like her. By then, his company would have completed its research into artificial intelligence, leading to an invention that allowed robots to interact freely with people without posing any threat whatsoever. He hoped that day would occur within ten years or so since most of the major technological breakthroughs of mankind were typically accomplished within twenty-five year periods. Of course, some inventions took decades longer to develop than expected due to unforeseen circumstances or unexpected complications; however, these were exceptions rather than the rule. Even so, he believed that humanity would eventually reach a stage where technology made life easier instead of more complicated – which was definitely the goal of every inventor out there.
His daughter stirred slightly in her sleep, prompting him to rub her back gently until she fell asleep completely. He glanced over at the couple sitting across from them and frowned when they began kissing passionately, groping each other's bodies while they caressed and fondled their genitals... Their behavior disgusted him beyond belief, but he knew that Maya wouldn't feel the same way when she woke up from her brief nap later. Then again, maybe she wouldn't care as long as she got what she wanted...? The thoughts running through his mind reminded him once again how much of an adult she already was. At times it seemed as though Maya knew how to handle herself far better than he did when it came to the dangers of the outside world – which meant that he needed to be extra careful in order not to lose control of his emotions towards her.
Fortunately for him, it appeared that nobody else in the subway car saw them as they continued to kiss, hug and grind against each other for a few minutes until a passenger finally pushed the button that indicated the train was arriving at its final destination. The moment the doors opened, he pulled his daughter towards the exit quickly in order for her to get a good view of the city outside the window before they stepped onto the street where they lived. Once they arrived at their building, he carried her up to the fourth floor and placed her down gently in front of her apartment door, leaving her sleeping peacefully on the ground. He leaned down towards her and kissed the top of her head gently before heading inside to retrieve the key card from the lock box. Once he returned upstairs, he carefully unlocked the door and entered the living room slowly. The lights were off throughout the entire unit since he and Maya didn't usually turn them on even during the daytime – which was common among New Yorkers, considering how expensive electricity was here in Manhattan.