Swing High, Sweetheart

Wednesday, 16 August 2006.

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She loved to swing. Every day, she got up; she got on the bus, she went to school. She sat through class, ate lunch, and sat through class again. She took the bus home. But then, when she got there, she'd climb onto the swingset and just swing for hours, without a care in the world.

Her mother used to swing her; now she swings herself. Someday soon, she'd be swung by a boyfriend, a lover, a husband. Then, she'd swing a daughter of her own, who would grow to swing herself, too.

But for now, those joys and burdens didn’t exist, and she was flying carefree of the world on her swingset, squealing her delight.

“Watch me, mommy! Watch me go higher!”

“I will, sweetheart…” And then a brief tear, quickly recovered. “I will.”