Sunday Dad

Some afternoons you only recognize as precious much later. This is the ordinary one: late summer, not quite fall, the back door open, your dad busy with something simple while you stayed close. Nobody was in a hurry. Fig, water lily, and cassis open soft and green, then iris, orris root, and jasmine fill the room before Madagascar vanilla, sandalwood, patchouli, and musk settle like shade. Sunday Dad brings that safe, unhurried hour home with you.