Brown Eyes

There was no reason for him to believe her.  Her claim was just too extraordinary.  Sure, she bore some resemblance to his deceased wife, and her eyes...  Those big brown innocent eyes, just like his daughter's.  The eyes that pleaded with him when she wanted to stay up and watch another episode of SpongeBob.  Those eyes that lit up every time he picked her up from daycare and came crying to him when she scraped her knee.  But surely, this couldn't be his daughter.  His daughter was only five.  This woman had to be in her twenties.

"Time Travel! What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"Please, Daddy!  Today's the day.  The day you die.  Just stay home, you don't have to believe me.  You don't ever have to believe me, just stay home and spend some time with your little girl today."

He had been spending too much time working lately.  Too many late nights and weekends and it was starting to take its toll on his daughter.  She was always crawling all over him when he was home, demanding his attention, not letting him get anything done.  He had been stressed and cranky lately, and more likely to yell at her to get out of the way than to pick her up and dance with her down the hallway like he used to.  'Tonight I'll do better.'  He told himself.  But he couldn't take today off. Too many important meetings.  Too many things that absolutely have to be done today.  This was preposterous.

"Look.  I don't know what your game is, but I really don't have time for this." He pushed his way past her and stopped at the front door to his office building to dig in his pockets and find his keys.  As usual he was the first one in.

She grabbed his arm, pleading with him, "Please, don't go to work today."

Her eyes were so convincing.  She looked genuinely concerned for him, like her own existence depended on whether or not he opened that door.  He held out his hand to brush the hair out of her face so he could see those deep brown eyes, and for a moment, he felt like somehow this must be real.  But it didn't make sense.  It couldn't be.

"I'm sorry, but I have things I absolutely must get done today."  He started to turn again, but the look of sorrow and pain on her face made him stop.

"Are you going to be OK?" he asked her.  "Do you have any place to go?  Any family in the area?"

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest, "Not if you don't listen to me."  She looked up into his eyes again.

He was a man of logic, not easily deterred by emotions, but he had one soft spot in his heart.  Only one.  One weakness where all the logic broke down and two big brown innocent eyes could move him and make him feel things he didn't know he was capable of.  One little girl in all the Universe could break down his cold logical exterior.

....

That evening, a little girl with big brown eyes played alone.  She was used to it.  Her Daddy often worked late and she was usually the last one to leave.  She heard a car door shut and ran to the window expectantly.  But it wasn't her Daddy, only a policeman with some lady.  They both looked sad.