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Patrick could barely contain his excitement. Eight years ago to the day, he had taken David on the hike that changed both their lives forever. Now, Patrick felt overwhelming joy instead of the anxiety that had consumed him nearly a decade earlier. He parked his car by the side of the road and unloaded his two daughters along with a bag full of supplies, first aid kit included. Mariah, just shy of two years old, was strapped to Patrick’s chest in her baby carrier, facing him. Eloise hopped out of the car and stood by Patrick, letting out an impatient sigh.
“Daddy, can you please just tell me where we’re going already? Why are we in the forest?” Eloise asked as Patrick put his backpack on. Patrick chuckled, reminded of the complaining he was met with when he’d brought David on this hike.
“I’m gonna show you guys somewhere really special, ok? I promise it’ll be worth it.” Patrick assured his eldest daughter, taking a moment to adjust the sun hat on Mariah’s head so it better covered her skin. He led the way to the base of the trail and started following the path he’d traveled countless times before. The kids made the hike noticeably longer than it had once been, but Eloise was definitely quicker than David and easily made her way up the trail. If anything, Patrick was the one slowing them down. The combined weight of the backpack and Mariah was already making Patrick’s back and shoulders ache. He was, however, determined to finish the hike and show his girls the exact spot where he’d proposed to David.
About halfway through the hike, Eloise was getting tired and had started complaining again.
“Are we there yet?” she whined, sitting down on a nearby tree stump with a dramatic huff.
“Halfway, Ells, you can do it!” Patrick said, ignoring the glare she shot him in response. He sat on a boulder next to her tree stump and took off the backpack, digging around until he pulled out a bottle of water and a baggie of Goldfish. “Here, honey, we can take a quick break.” He said before taking out his own water bottle and the one he’d brought for Mariah, as well as a baggie of Cheerios. He sipped at his water and made sure Mariah and Eloise did the same, then he let Mariah dig into her Cheerios. They rested there for about fifteen minutes before Patrick packed up and pulled the backpack on again. “C’mon, let’s go!” He said to Eloise, who groaned before getting to her feet and trudging after him.
“ Daddy , my legs hurt, I wanna go home!” Eloise complained as they approached the final stretch of the trail. Patrick was growing a little impatient after hearing her complain nonstop since they’d continued their trek.
“We’re almost there, Eloise.”
“You’ve been saying that forever!” Eloise pouted and stopped walking, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I wanna go home right now !” Patrick sighed, turning to face his daughter. He slid the backpack off his shoulders and thrust it towards Eloise.
“Put this on,” he said sternly.
“Why?!”
“Because I’m giving you a piggyback the rest of the way and I can’t do that if I’m wearing the backpack,” Patrick replied, helping Eloise slip her arms through the straps before crouching down slightly. “C’mon, up you get. Gently, please, remember I’m carrying your sister, too.”
Eloise climbed onto her dad’s back, draping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder. Patrick slowly got to his feet, feeling off-balance with Mariah on his front and Eloise plus the backpack on his back. After getting his bearings, he set off for the little clearing he’d hiked to so many times before. Eloise made funny faces over Patrick’s shoulder at Mariah, who giggled in response. When they reached the end of the trail, Patrick bent down so Eloise could climb off his back. After she did, he pulled a picnic blanket out of the backpack and laid it out for them, then took Mariah out of her carrier and set her down on the blanket before sitting down beside her. Eloise sat down too, immediately searching the backpack for more snacks. David’s influence on their little girl was crystal clear. Mariah pulled herself to her feet and tried to toddle away, but Patrick gently corralled her so she stayed by him on the blanket.
“Wanna know what makes this spot so special, Eloise?” He asked, looking around and taking in the oh-so-familiar surroundings.
“Uh-huh!” Eloise nodded enthusiastically, in a much better mood now that she’d found the sandwiches Patrick had packed.
“Well, eight years ago, I made your abba hike with me to this very spot,” Patrick began with a smile. “He kept complaining and I decided to give up and turn back, but then I hurt my foot and he took care of it for me, plus he insisted on finishing the hike. So Abba carried me on his back the rest of the way up.” Eloise looked up, her cheeks stuffed full of sandwich, giving her the appearance of a startled chipmunk. Patrick snorted, and Eloise finished chewing and swallowing before asking, “Really?! Abba carried you up a mountain?!” Patrick nearly started explaining that this wasn’t a mountain , more of a large hill, really, but decided against it. Instead, he grinned, shifting closer to Eloise and pulling Mariah onto his lap.
“Yup. That’s exactly what he did. And when we got right here,” Patrick pointed to the ground directly beneath him, “I told him to look in the pocket of one of the backpacks I’d brought with us, and while he was busy doing that, I got down on one knee. He found the box with the rings, just the way I’d planned it, and I asked him to marry me.” Patrick concluded with a grin, tears welling up in his eyes at the flood of emotions that accompanied the story.
“...I still can’t believe Abba carried you. You’re a grown-up!” Eloise said.
“I am, but my foot was injured and I was performing in Cabaret the next day...Nana was the director.” Eloise’s eyes widened and Patrick knew she understood.
“And now, eight years later, I get to bring my two daughters up here to tell them that story. How lucky am I, hm?” Patrick said softly, pressing kisses to Mariah’s cheek and Eloise’s head. “You know, for a really long time, I didn’t think this was possible for me. Being this happy, married to the love of my life, and raising the two best girls anyone could ever ask for. But I’ve never been happier about being wrong.” Eloise smiled at that, cuddling up close to Patrick’s left side and gazing out at the scenery.
“I’m glad you were wrong too, Dad,” she said softly, moving Patrick’s hand down closer to her and gently tracing her fingers back and forth over his wedding band.