Sometime last week when we were in our usual morning rush, I noticed something: my daughter’s legs have definitely grown longer overnight. I wished to check her, measure her even but who could do that on a normal working day?

We had breakfast, brushed our teeth, ran through the door with our bags with me dragging one of my sandals unstrapped and onto the parking lot, boarded the car and left to drop her to school. While inside the car, I asked her to sit on my lap instead of sitting in the child seat. I just wanted to feel her, to wrap her in my arms. She nodded and came to me.

My little girl has grown up.

I noticed every little detail, from her fingertips to her waist, to her height, to the way it feels hugging her. Where did the small 50 cm long baby go? In the middle of the traffic that morning, I buried my face in her back, closed my eyes and cherished the short moment.