The ice cream was already melting down her fingers. Eliana sat on the bench outside the store, swinging her legs, trying to catch the drips before they reached her wrist.
Maman had gone inside to buy groceries. She said Papa had given extra money this time so they could buy something sweet.
It was the first ice cream Eliana had eaten in months. Cold, soft, perfect.
Across the road she spotted a familiar figure walking along the path by the highway. Her heart jumped. Papa.
"Papa!" she called, waving the cone in the air.
He didn't hear. He was holding a little girl's hand about her age and beside them walked a woman with dark hair.
Eliana blinked. "Papa!" she shouted again, louder this time.
People nearby turned to look. Her father paused. For a second her heart lifted; she thought he had seen her.
But he bent down instead, taking a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the other girl's mouth. The woman laughed softly, touching his arm.
