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When my girls were little, I loved spending time with them. They probably deserved much more of their dad’s attention, but selfishness has always been a struggle.

I would take one or both girls with me on a trip to the store or to visit a friend. I once took one with me on a job interview. (They even asked her questions . . . and I got the job . . . probably because of her.)

One such trip, I took my oldest daughter (five years of age) with me to Kmart. My rememberer has been stuck for a number of years, so I only recall items on a highly selective and suspect basis. This trip, I recall only one major detail and that is not what we went to the store for.

Aimee and I were perusing the usual items: toys, sports equipment, and candy. However, this was in October so we stopped to see costumes and masks. She rarely viewed costumes of ballerinas, princesses, kitty cats, or Raggedy Ann’s. No, she preferred costumes of the more boyish nature.

Aimee wanted to wear baseball uniforms and dreamt of being a superstar. Baseball was a love (as per a previous post). But today, she longingly looked at a costume that would cause her to be able to swing into her school classroom at the end of a spider web (Spiderman).

While she drooled over the possibilities, Dad was watching her until a mask caught his eye. I thought it unique in its day, though I never was much into masks. It was made of rubber that fit over the entire head. It was bald on top with wild, white hair on the sides. I thought it was a rather funny old man. So, I slipped it on.

I looked over to Aimee for approval. We were about at the same height as I was kneeling beside her. She still was busy dreaming of being a police officer or firefighter. “Aimee,” I said.

To this day, I remember the look on her face. She took one glance at me, shrieked and took off running in a flash. What she thought at that moment, I do not know. However, I have always wondered if she thought some old codger had eaten her dad whole.

I quickly got up, ripped the mask off my head and ran after her. I have always been quick, fairly agile, and fast. However, Aimee’s two-second head start had a rather unusual thrust on this day.

I ran, dodging racks of clothes and people (well, not racks of people) calling Aimee’s name. By the time I caught up with her, the big worm was half way across Kmart. I scooped her into my arms and held her almost as tight as she clutched me.

I felt bad for scaring her, but I felt I should tell her the truth about the incident. Because the first thing that came to mind was, “Thank goodness! We both got away from that old guy!”

No, I did not want her to think that old guys were scary. After all, I might just be one someday . . . and I will not be wearing a mask.