Two of Hearts

I was never a sports person until I came to school here. I’m not going to lie, it’s still not the most exciting thing to watch to me, but going to the games with my friends has become one of my favorite things. Not to mention my Dad loves that we can watch and cheer for St. Johns together. It makes it feel like I’m back sitting on my couch, both of us decked out in our baggiest pajamas, eating chips and salsa and yelling at the television every time the other team makes a shot. So, naturally, when his birthday rolled around last month it only made sense to get him tickets to the Duke vs St Johns game at Madison Square Garden. This way, he could take the train in with my family and I could meet them there with my friends in tow.

After the game we celebrated an unexpected victory with a nice dinner then said our goodbyes and parted ways. I may only live an hour and a half away, but it doesn’t mean I miss my family any less. People might say it’s weird for a teenage girl to miss her Dad while she’s off at college, but I’ve always been a Daddy’s girl at heart.

Needless to say I was bummed on the ride home. I shoved my way onto a crowded subway, from the subway to an overflowing bus, and then took a brisk walk back from the bus stop to my dorm. I was careful to watch my feet and where I walked to avoid what was sure to be a graceful collapse onto the slick ground. To my surprise what I saw when I looked down wasn’t a patch of ice, but just one card from a deck of cards… the two of hearts.

I couldn’t help but smile. It may sound lame, but I felt like it was meant for me to find and pick up. So I did and stuffed it deep into my coat pocket. That card is now sitting on my desk, a reminder of how even though we might be two separate people in two different places, our hearts will always be together.