“Oh, so that happened, huh.”
“Yep! Do you have treasures too, daddy? Are we your treasures?”
I was glad to hear my young children telling me how happy my wife was.
“Of course you are. My treasures are your mommy, Elena, Marcus, and Gilberto.”
“Yay!”
“...Ay!”
I nearly burst out laughing at their cheer. I wouldn’t give away this cuteness for anything. It was rarer than any jewel.
“But mommy said her bracelets were treasure, too.”
“Mar wants one, too!”
It seemed that the two had come to me wanting something after Lucia told them about the flower bracelet. Maria Elena proudly puffed out her chest as she told me that they couldn’t wait for mommy to come back after taking care of Gilberto.
“Okay, daddy’ll make you one.”
“A wood one too?”
“Hmm. Though daddy would love to give you a ‘special’ one, you’d get mad at me when you’re older. I’ll make you something else, other than a bracelet.”
At one point, when I’d said I didn’t want Maria Elena to get married, Lucia objected, and Her Majesty got mad, insisting that Elena would marry her child. Thinking back on the bitter experience, I asked my kids what they’d like.
Unaware of her father’s feelings, Maria Elena smiled innocently, cutely...and demanded something very difficult.
“Make Shiro!”
“Mar wants Shiro, too!”
“Uh, that’s a bit of a hard one...” I mumbled, thinking about if I could manage something like that.
The two children took me by the hands and led me outside. As we headed towards the gardener to ask for wood and flowers, Maria Elena suddenly asked again, “Daddy, do you have any other treasures?”
Nothing was more precious to me than Lucia and the kids. But she seemed to be asking about physical things rather than metaphorical ones.
Of course, the matching silver bracelet on my wrist that I got at my wedding was one of my treasures, but I had one other secret treasure.
“I would say your mommy’s old ribbon...”
“Ribbon? Why?”
“Ah, how can I explain this... When daddy first left on our journey, mommy gave him her ribbon as a charm. That’s my treasure, the first thing that she gave me.”
Although, she didn’t give it to me so much as I took it from her. However I got it, it was still my treasure. I’d given the ribbon holding her cut hair back, but I still had her old one. She didn’t know, though.
“So ribbons can be treasures too? Then Elena’s gonna make the one Eric gave her her treasure!”
“Eric... Wait, Elena. Daddy doesn’t know about any ribbons!”
“Ah! It’s a secret! Daddy, forget the ribbon!”
Giggling gleefully, Maria Elena turned and ran towards the shed in front of us. Marcus let go of my hand, tottering along after her.
“Now I’ve got another thing to worry about...”
My children just laughed at me as I sighed.