Olivia hadn’t seen Donna for several days. She couldn’t help but worry. Seeing his daughter a little down, Olivia's father, Anderson, took her to play tennis.
Olivia darted across the court like a swift and agile gazelle. Anderson could keep up at first, but after half an hour, his stamina began to wane. Sweat dripped from his slightly graying hair, and a powerful, perfectly placed serve from Olivia sealed the match: “ACE!” Olivia had won the tennis match, the first time she had ever beaten her father. Even more exciting was that the injury on her leg had almost fully healed.
“You've grown up, Olivia!” Anderson smiled proudly. Olivia cheered happily, but when she saw her father gasping for breath, a sudden realization hit her—her father seemed to have aged a lot this time. He didn’t run as fast as before, nor could he jump as high, like a kite wavering unsteadily in the sky. Olivia’s mood quickly turned somber. She held onto her father’s arm and asked how he was feeling.
“I’m fine, Olivia. You’re a natural athlete!” Anderson encouraged his daughter. “I know you were upset about the 400-meter race a while ago, but that’s just a small setback. You’ll bounce back.” Olivia nodded, and Anderson started coughing heavily.
On their way home, both of them seemed deep in thought. As they reached the doorstep, Anderson spoke first, “Olivia, I have to go on a business trip again tomorrow. I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend much time with you this time.” Olivia seemed to sense what was coming, and didn’t have much to say. She quietly went to the local store to buy a new towel. This had become an important ritual—each time her father went on a trip, Olivia would buy him a new towel to take with him, believing it would keep him safe and bring him back home.
As Olivia walked through the neighborhood streets, she ran into Donna. Donna, looking guilty, apologized to Olivia, “I was too impulsive during our last run. Olivia, my birthday party is next week, and I hope you can come.” Olivia hugged her, feeling a bit more at ease.
Back at home, Olivia stuffed the new towel into her father’s suitcase. Anderson watched her, summoning the courage to say something, but when he saw the look in Olivia’s eyes, he hesitated. The next morning, as Olivia watched her father’s figure disappear in the distance, she fell back into the familiar cycle of “waiting for father.” In that moment, she found herself confused. She didn’t quite understand what her father was always chasing, nor did she know what exactly she wanted for herself or how valuable it was.
But there wasn’t much time for her to overthink it—school sports competitions were coming up soon. Olivia had only one thing on her mind: “Redemption.” She thought of June, who had taken first place in the 400 meters last time. Olivia still couldn’t believe an unknown girl had beaten her, and she was determined to make her pay for it this time.
Just as Olivia was lost in thought, the doorbell rang. She opened the door and found her mother standing in front of her. Olivia hadn’t seen her mother in a long time and was momentarily at a loss. She had grown up living with her father, and didn’t have much attachment to her mother. She wasn’t sure what her mother wanted to talk about. They stared at each other for a moment, and the situation grew a little awkward.