We followed him and believed he was unaware
of our presence. Out the front door, across the yard,
then around the corner of the garage. We crept
forward and held our breath, anticipating the moment
we gave ourselves away. But he walked from task
to task, pulling weeds, clipping yellow flowers,
sweeping leaves from the pathway. Then we became
more bold, chuckling quietly to ourselves until,
with one masterful flick of his wrist, the garden
hose sprayed gallons of water into our hiding place,
sending us laughing and screaming across the grass
while he smiled larger than I ever believed possible.