My Promise with My Little Darling 20 Years from Now

Twenty years from now, I will wear this gray suit, put on these blue comprehensive training shoes, and hold my daughter's hand as we walk into the hall. Today, while organizing the wardrobe, I carefully placed a set of gray linen suit and a pair of blue training shoes in the most prominent spot. My wife smiled and teased me for buying impractical things again, saying she hadn’t seen me wear them for years. I just smiled without explaining. This is a secret between my daughter and me. Twenty years from now, at my daughter’s wedding, I will wear this outfit. Yes, twenty years from now. By then, I will be sixty years old, and my daughter will have grown from the little girl who loves to cling to my back into a graceful young lady. This linen suit is made of lightweight, breathable fabric with sharp tailoring. I specifically chose gray because it is calm and reserved, yet still carries the dignity appropriate for my age. And these blue training shoes are my favorite color. They resemble the blue sea, the boundless sky, symbolizing freedom and vitality. Six years ago, I never imagined I would buy clothes like this. Back then, I weighed 210 pounds, and everything I wore was tight. When buying clothes, I only cared if they fit, never daring to care about style or color. The turning point was my daughter’s call of “Dad.” I didn’t want her memory of me to always be the image of a staggering, overweight figure. I wanted to be healthy and energetic to accompany her as she grew up and to be part of every important moment in her life. From gasping after running just one kilometer to easily completing ten kilometers; from being clueless with gym equipment to now enjoying every moment of exhaustion. Sweat has become the best witness to my transformation. In just over two years, I shed more than 60 pounds. Not only did my body change dramatically, but my spirit was renewed. My daughter is my greatest motivation. Sometimes she runs with me, her small figure beside me, chattering about school stories. Those early mornings and evenings have become the most precious times for us father and daughter. She is now over five years old. We have made a promise—twenty years from now, at her wedding, I will wear this gray suit and blue sneakers, hold her hand, walk down the red carpet, and give her to another man who loves her. “Dad, why do you have to wear sneakers?” she asked me with big blinking eyes. Why sneakers? Because I want to tell her that no matter what age I am, Dad will always keep running, always be the most energetic support behind her. The suit represents ceremony and my utmost respect for the important moments in her life; the sneakers represent my unwavering persistence over twenty years and a heart that is forever young. From that day on, my fitness journey gained a more specific and romantic goal. I no longer exercise just to maintain my weight but to fulfill a twenty-year promise. I want to make sure that on my daughter’s wedding day, when I put on this treasured “battle suit” that I have kept for twenty years, it still fits perfectly, and even more so, it stands tall because of the lines sculpted over two decades. This is not just a set of clothes; it is a promise. A promise to my daughter and to myself. I want to use twenty years of persistence to tell her: love is not a momentary impulse but a long-lasting protection; happiness is not a stroke of luck but a daily cherishing. One day twenty years from now, when a dad wearing a gray linen suit and blue sneakers holds his daughter’s hand and walks into the hall, everyone will think this outfit is special. But only we will know that this look was prepared for twenty years. For that day, I will keep my figure, stay healthy, and maintain my passion for life. I want my girl to have the best dad on her most important day. I look forward to this twenty-year promise. When that time comes, I will personally tell the guy who will walk my daughter through the rest of her life: treat her well, she is the treasure Dad has carefully nurtured for twenty years, or even longer. And now, I’m going for a run. Today’s ten kilometers are for that day twenty years from now. Nanjing Jinpu No.12 Homestay (Pukou Railway Station Cultural Street Branch)