For Princesses, about Kings

I NEVER called him Father.
That title simply didn’t fit him.
All his life, like little trailers stuck to a short name,
There were diminutives.
Diminutives?
Yes, according to what Do and I just finished in third grade, the suffixes “-el” and “-uk” turn solid words into little, affectionate versions.

All my life, by my side, I had a DAD or a DADDY.
That’s what I call him even now.
When they were handing out Daddies, I can confidently say I was the luckiest.
Alongside a very patient, caring, sincere childhood advocate, I was given someone who taught me how to live.
He never liked to give long lectures.
There were few lyrical digressions in him.
He always spoke in a calm voice, without beating around the bush.
But the three rules he taught me I know by heart, like a potter knows clay:

1. There is no such word as “I can’t”—there is only “I must.”
This rule, whenever spoken by him, the child who spent his own childhood in exile, seemed magical.
In moments of life when things were really hard and I wanted to scream with all my throat: “I give up,” I would hear my Dad’s calm voice, kind eyes, and heartrendingly strong words: “There is no ‘I can’t’—there is only ‘I must.’”
If he, as a child, could do it, why shouldn’t I succeed?—I would think as a child.
You won’t believe it, but I did.

2. You must share.
And when sharing, take the one you want least.
Reaching for a handful of sweets, he would teach me to choose the smallest, less shiny one, leaving the largest and most impressive for the person next to me.
When he brought two apples, he always pointed to the one that wasn’t as red, with a few scratches, encouraging me to pick the “lesser” one, proving that its taste was no worse than the “perfect” one.
By taking the lesser, you always get the greater, he would say with a smile.

3. Don’t abandon the road for the path.
And I haven’t.
Once, a rule he strongly reminded me of at the right time allowed me to walk every day on a wide, beautiful road, a choice I have never doubted even for a moment.

All my life, I felt a little like a princess, because beside me I had a KING.
A king who taught, cared, and sometimes just watched with his big, kind eyes, always prouder than anyone else, telling Do and me:
“Here are my little treasures.”

To ALL THE KINGS OF THE WORLD,
Who carry us in their hearts throughout life with unwavering crowns.

V.