Drive Carefully
Written by Nils Ling (He regularly posts his essays at his website and is the author of the ebook Truths And Half Truths)
When she was about seven years old, my little girl came into my room one morning before she left to walk to school. I’d been up late, writing, and was fast asleep. I half-awoke to her voice.
“I’m going, Daddy,” she said, and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
I stirred and turned, still nowhere near awake, and grunted, “Drive carefully.”
She giggled. I came out of my daze, and grinned sheepishly. She skipped off to school, laughing.
The next morning it was my turn to make breakfast, braid her hair, check her lunch, nip at her heels like a border collie as she got ready for her day. As she opened the door to leave, I called out to her.
“Drive carefully,” I said, and she giggled as she ran off.
It became our thing, hers and mine.
It was “Have a nice day”, “Goodbye”, Be safe”, and “I love you”, all rolled into two silly words. Later, it became “Don’t drink and drive”, “Good luck on your exam”, “Don’t stay out too late, we don’t know this young man”. And, of course, it could also just be “Drive carefully”, because hey, that’s important, too.
I’ve said those two words to her every single time we’ve parted. Called them to her from my office as she’s bolting out the door to meet her friends at the Mall. Spoken them while leaning over to give her a kiss as I drop her off for classes. Whispered them while sitting on the edge of her bed as I nudge her from sleep at six in the morning to say goodbye before an early flight. Always the same two words.
“Drive carefully.”
A few years ago, we moved her into her new apartment. On the actual moving day, there wasn’t much to do, partly because she was young and it was her first place and she had almost no furniture. Mostly, though, it was because in the week or so before the scheduled moving day, she and her sister had begun to quietly spirit her childhood stuff – dolls, puzzles, teddy bears and the like – out of the house and into the new place. They knew it would be heart-wrenching for their Mom to have to pack up her entire childhood and release it into the world, so they conspired together to save her the tears.
We took over her dresser and bed that day in a truck borrowed from a friend. We put the furniture in the bedroom and her Mom bustled around, making her bed, unwrapping plates, unpacking boxes, keeping busy so she didn’t have to think too much about what she was busy doing.
But after a while there was no more unpacking left to do, and we loitered in the living room, making small talk until finally I figured it was time she was left on her own. As we left, I turned to her at the door. She grinned.
“Drive carefully,” she said.
She got married last year. In the time leading up to the wedding, she and her sister laughed gleefully about how they were going to make me cry “… like a little girl!”. I took it as a challenge, and if I do say so myself, I held up pretty well for a guy who is an admitted softie.
The first look at her in her wedding dress took my breath away – seriously, it quite literally winded me. But I was able to scramble and scrape and gather together enough composure to carry on with the ceremony. I walked her to the altar, and as we got there, I turned to her.
I hesitated. And tried. But … it wouldn’t come out.
She smiled and leaned close to my ear. “I will,” she whispered, and left my arm to go be with her husband.
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Posted on July 12, 2012, in Reflections. Bookmark the permalink. 34 Comments.
This is a lovely heart warming story
Thankyou for sharing 
So sweet!
what a beautiful story. brought a tear to my eye.
Such a sweet and heartwarming story! It made me teary-eyed… I adore my girls.
:’-) you just gave me the biggest goose bumps. thank you for sharing. I didn’t have a real dad, makes me a bit jealous. thanks again.
I didn’t grow up with my dad, and the man who raised me passed away a few years ago. Thanks for sharing this heart-felt story. I’m a little jealous, because that’s always the kind or relationship I wished I could of had with my father, or even step-father. Such a sweet story!
So happy that the story did not have a tragic ending. That’s what I was anticipating while reading…. it’s so special to read of a connection between a father and daughter that spans the years… Thanks for sharing… “drive carefully” that’s a great motto for life..
Such a precious story, thank you for sharing. She will probably carry on this tradition with her children.
Thank you so much for such a heart warming story…My Dad was killed in Korea when I was about 7 so I had no one to walk me down the aisle…She is a VERY lucky woman to have such a great..I’d like to think my Dad would have been the same way..again THANKS FOR A GREAT STORY WITH A VERY HAPPY ENDING
Love this!! Me and my son have something similar and it’s our thing. It’s nice when you can have something that’ uniquely yours!!!
That was so beautiful.
Gave me little chills…So heartwarming…:)
That’s such a tear jerking loving story…I loved it!
That so much reminds me of me and my daughter when we speak one the fone at nite we end our chat with godbless and sweetdreams
That is so sweet absoloutly amazing!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I have 2 boys and now as of 2 weeks ago a daughter. I am writting this with tears streaming down my face. And hoping and praying that she will have something as wonderful with her dad as your daughter has had with you
I can only hope that when it is time to give my little girl away I can keep it together too!!!! Drive Carefully!!!!!!
This was a lovely story to read,made me cry!Thank you so much for sharing
What a beautiful story!! Brought tears to my eyes.
deeply touched.
brought tears into my eyes….
So sweet. I love it. Thanks for sharing!
Makes me really miss my dad. He will never get to walk me down the isle but he will be holding my hand when I do. You are a very blessed father to have such a special relationship with your children! I had one with my dad and he is still with me every single day even after his journey to heaven 10 yrs ago. Thanks for sharing your story.
So cool, I have a tradition with my daughter that I have done since her birth. It is simple but means so much to both of us. When she was born I put my little finger in the palm of her hand and she gripped it tightly , when she got older and learned to talk we added the words “bestest buds!” and now it’s little finger to little finger locked together . She is 11 now and in the morning when she gets up its one of the first things she does. Sadly I only see her every other week as I’m divorced but I treasure the moments I spend with her. Now if only I could come up with something similar for my son.
Our saying sweet!x
This is a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it!
lovely belle
My dad went away and left his responsibility. My mom raised me and my two sister alone. I grew up thinking all dad were the same, but you just prove me wrong … thank you! thank you! Your daughter is such a lucky girl to have a dad like you.
I wish I had memories like that with my dad. But I know my daughter will…
Very precious story. Im happy that my daughter and his father have this precious bonding, we want her to have good memories with us. Best regard to the writer.
Sobbing. Miss you daddy
Sweet heartwarming love between a father and daughter.
Thank God for a tale with a happy ending, for once. Truly heart-warming, truly inspiring, truly challenging for us dads with daughters. Thank you ever so much!
This made me smile xx Thank you for being a good dad x