Hazel looks at her father Nick's phone
Checking up on him now and then
The way there are few secrets kept
From intelligent preteen daughters
He tells me she looks at his Fitbit numbers
Seeing my step count has increased of late
Commenting I must be in Florida now
Knowing about my annual exercise variation
I hardly know Hazel except through Nick
Just like she knows me only through him
Someone I have known from before she was born
Someone who keeps in touch like I am family
We worked together for eighteen years
Relied on each other to achieve success
But it has been four years since that stopped
And still he checks in on me now and then
I'm old enough to be his father actually
And I like to think I am a father figure for him
Though I know he keeps up with so many people
I like to be included in hearing about his life these days
So many relationships turn out to be situational
In school at work with neighbors in organizations
Once you move on and the interactions end
Most people simply drop out of contact
Aware of the value of personal connections
Taking care to maintain the thread between us
Making the effort to continue sharing with each other
Nick knows what is most important
