Love, Dad | ONC 2024 ✔️

7 | SHINE YOUR LIGHT ON OTHERS

Harmony Moonbeam leans forward and yells into my ear, her voice muffled by the sound of water. "Ah, to be young again! Being old like me, it really puts things into perspective."

The glistening mist hanging over the falls announces our arrival long before they come into view.

"You're not that old." I crane my neck in the seat and turn around to look at her.

"Oh, I'm older than you think." She winks at me. "Meeting you two lovely people made me reflect perspective, you know? My own life. My own mortality."

Dave parks the Pontiac in one of the designated spaces and we get out. He is helping Harmony navigate the paved path. A grin tugs at my lips as I watch him trot beside Harmony's wheelchair. He maneuvers it with surprising gentleness, his brow furrowed in concentration, but his touch is steady and sure.

And to think he only accepted to take her with us because I insisted.

"Faster, Dave!" The kooky old lady is whooping and yipping, leaning back in her chair. Her weathered face is tilted upwards as she drinks in the spectacle.

"As you wish, milady." Dave salutes her like a soldier, and increases the speed.

The sight warms me from inside out. Here is this gruff, closed-off guy I met under um... less than ideal circumstances. And he's showing such unexpected tenderness towards an eccentric stranger.

My impression of David Rivera is shifting and shimmering with every passing second.

Maybe I've been too quick to judge him after the diner episode. Maybe, just maybe, there's a kind heart buried beneath all that cynicism.

We follow the throng of tourists for a while along a well-worn path. As we round a bend, the majestic Horseshoe Falls I've only ever seen in pictures before, burst into view. A breathtaking curtain of cascading water seems to stretch endlessly.

"That's it." Dave takes a deep breath. "Whoa. I can't believe I really did it. I'm here again, after so many years."

The rumbling of the water is a physical presence that vibrates in my chest. Guardrails prevent me from getting right to the edge, but the wind whips a fine mist onto my face, carrying the invigorating scent of churning droplets.

Dave suddenly stops and turns around. A mischievous glint flickers in his eyes as he points at a narrow uneven path leading closer to the edge. "Just a peek?"

Hrmpf. That looks a little dangerous. Is that even an official path?

He offers me a reassuring smile. "It's the spot that I told you about. Where I came with my Dad, when I was eight. I promise it's totally safe."

"Come on! Let's go!" Harmony cups her hands around her mouth and calls for us. "What's the hold up?"

"Oh, fine." I shrug. "It's just that..."

"It's just what?" He raises a single brow, his whisky-brown eyes twinkling with naughtiness.

"You always look to bend the rules."

"And you always look to respect them," he fires back with a tease.

"Fair enough. We did the diner your way, you took in Harmony because I asked you to. Now I guess it's my turn to budge."

"Oh? I like this dynamic, Lewis." Dave nudges me playfully. "Then next time when we have to make a big decision, it's your turn again."

"I'll hold you to that promise." I fake-threaten him with a forefinger.

As we approach the viewpoint, a cool spray mists our faces, leaving my skin damp and slightly chilled. I stand there, mesmerized, my breath catching in my throat at the raw power and beauty of nature. A wide grin spreads across Dave's face and my heart constricts in my chest.