Uncle Mike in an Elsa Dress
A few days later, Lily noticed I hadn’t touched my camera in weeks.
“Mommy, why don’t you take pictures anymore?” she asked.
“I don’t know, sweetheart.”
“But you always take pictures.”
“I know, baby. I know.”
Months later, her doctor finally smiled.
“Lily’s in remission, Emma. She’ll need monitoring, but her results are encouraging.”
For the first time in months, I cried from relief.
But on the morning of Lily’s discharge, something completely unexpected happened.
And it was only the beginning of a mystery I never imagined I’d have to unravel.
“Mommy, can you put a bow in my hair?”
I looked at Lily’s nearly bald head. “How about this pink headband instead?”
“Does it make me pretty?”
“You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
“Even prettier than Elsa?”
“That’s a very difficult competition.”
She giggled.
While I completed her discharge paperwork, the elevator doors opened.
A huge, tattooed biker stepped out wearing a glittering blue Elsa dress and black motorcycle boots.
A crooked blond braid hung over his shoulder.
He looked directly at Lily.
“There you are, Princess!”
“UNCLE MIKE!”
Before I could react, she ran into his arms.
“You actually came!”
“A promise is a promise.”
I hurried toward them. “Excuse me. Who are you?”
Lily laughed. “Mommy, this is Uncle Mike!”
“I don’t know an Uncle Mike.”
“He comes to our playroom when you’re at work!”
I frowned.
I’d signed Lily up for the hospital’s activity program months ago, but I’d never met the volunteers who ran it.
I reached for her.
“Lily, come here, sweetheart.”
But she turned toward the stranger.
“Can I show her now? The surprise?”
He hesitated. “If your mom says it’s okay.”
“What surprise?” I demanded.
Lily opened her backpack and pulled out a small photo album.
On the cover, in colorful letters, were the words:
The Many Faces of Uncle Mike.
Inside were dozens of photographs of the biker dressed as:
A pirate.
A chef.
A superhero.
A pink unicorn.
And in every photograph, Lily was beside him, smiling.
“You stopped taking pictures, Mommy, so Uncle Mike and I made this album for you!”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “Who are you, and why have you been visiting my daughter without telling me?”
The man immediately stepped back.
“I’m Michael. I run a charity club for children receiving treatment. We bring in artists, chefs, firefighters, even motorcycles for the kids to explore.”
“I made cookies!” Lily announced. “And painted a helmet!”
“Wait. You’re behind those activities? Lily talks about them constantly.”
“Everything happens in the hospital playroom, with staff supervising.”
Lily tugged my sleeve. “Remember my purple dragon? That was Uncle Mike’s art day!”
Of course. I remembered that dragon.
But something still bothered me.
“Why all these private photographs?”
Michael smiled awkwardly. “Your daughter challenged me.”
“Challenged you?”
“She said a man my size would never wear a princess dress.”
“I told him he was too chicken!” Lily announced.
“So naturally, I had to prove her wrong.”
“And the unicorn?”
“That was her next challenge.”
Despite myself, I almost smiled.
Then Michael mentioned something strange. “My best friend actually started this club. I just run it now.”
“Where is he?”
“He got sick.”
“What’s his name?”
Michael glanced at Lily. “Emma, I’ve wanted to tell you the truth for months. But I made someone a promise.”
“Do you know my family?”
He went still. “I’ve already said too much.”
May you like
He handed me his card and hurried into the elevator.
I wasn’t letting this go.
