Chapter 27

Saturday morning Richie spent with his youngest son, the rest of the day was going to be spent with his one and only daughter. Just like he had spent last Saturday with Caleb, today he was spending the entire day with Ava. One of his favorite ways to spend a day with Ava.

After breakfast he said goodbye to Daniel who was going for his morning nap anyway. He changed him up in his room and got him ready for bed, then gently tucked him in.

For a minute, he stood by the crib and watched him.

When he was sure Daniel was peacefully asleep, he turned around and walked out of the room.

Down the hall he met up with Ava.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

The teenage girl quickly grabbed her belongings and was ready to go.

Together they walked to the garage.

"Why don't you drive?" Richie suggested once they got there.
"Really?" Ava asked amazed.
"You're getting better at it and you need practice. You drive."
"Okay." Ava said cheerful as she grabbed the keys from her dad's hand and got in the car in the driver's seat instead of the passenger's seat.

A little nervous, Richie got in on the passenger's side. Ava was doing great with driving a car but she had always practiced with her own car, not his.

"Where are we going?" Ava asked.
Richie shrugged. "You're the driver, you decide."
"The mall?" Ava asked unsure.
"Sure. You know the way?" Richie asked, making sure she did and would be able to drive the whole way on her own.
"Yeah, I do."
"Great, lets get going."

The instant Ava started the car and got off the driveway and onto the street, he felt very proud. It was great to see her drive on her own.

The whole way to the mall he felt nervous along with a mixture of pride. Ava was doing great so far but soon they'd be at the mall, where it was a lot busier and she would have to park the car in between two other cars. The idea of her scratching one of the other cars made him very nervous. If it was only a scratch and nothing more.

The tense moment came up sooner than he had thought when Ava picked out a parking spot.

"Here?" She asked, pointing at a place between two other cars.
"Sure." He agreed. "Just remember to use enough space but don't hit the other ones."
"I won't." Ava said full of confidence as she started to park the car.

Richie squinted, full of nerves as Ava turned the wheel. He knew she hadn't done this one a real parking lot yet.

When she parked, Ava looked at him. "Geez dad, it's fine."
Noticing that they indeed had parked, he looked out of the window. She hadn't done bad at all. "Nicely done." He commented. "Really."
Ava smiled. "Thanks dad." She smiled proudly, getting out of the car.

Proudly, he walked with Ava. Following her in and out every store that interested her wasn't the most interesting thing to do but feeling proud of her accomplishment, he didn't mind at all and followed her gladly, allowing her everything she wanted.

Other than shopping, paying for everything and carrying all the bags, it was also a great opportunity to talk to Ava. Just to have a few minutes where she could tell him anything she would need to.

Any time spend just with Ava alone, was great to him. The shopping wasn't his favorite pass time but to do it for Ava was completely different, it made her happy and that was really all he wanted for all his children. To see them happy and smile. That was all he really needed and for that he'd happily stroll around the mall for an entire day.