I shamble in from a brisk cold spring morning still kissed by winters spell. The second I enter the establishment the smell assaults my senses. The garlic, the cheap plastic, the baby vomit. Ah Chuck E Cheeses. Where kids can be kids. If only 25 years ago I had known. There I stood again in the now occupied space that once housed the arcade classics we had been accustomed to in the early nineties. And now here I was again a full grown man of 36, no longer just a chubby young lad on the cusp of 12. Only now Cadence my niece was turning three. 

"Caaaaayyy!" I say with a silly voice. 

She comes running, freshly potty trained and no longer diaper encumbered. She hops into my arms and hugs me tightly across my neck. I effortlessly pick her tiny body up and return the hug and we both close our eyes and in the darkness experience each others embrace of pure love and safety. I kiss her ear and whisper "happy birthday" into her ear. She doesn't let go, so we stand there for 30 seconds hugging tightly. My heart shutters and I realize how desperately I love her. How little most love I felt for insubstantial things in my life pales in comparison to what I am feeling in this intense moment where all the sights and sounds dim into oblivion and we forge this symbiotic connection. I know that my heart belongs to her and I feel inspired to be better. To be stronger and healthier, to live longer and no longer want to take foolish risks with myself. 

She lets go just long enough to back her face away and look at me with a smile. Then she reaches in and gives me a quick peck on the lips while eyeballing the Peppa Pig game.