Samantha only had vague recollections of her father. She remembered his scruffy face and that he made her laugh. And she remembered that he was no longer with her and her mother. But that was about it. Samantha sometimes wondered where her father had gone. Her mother only told her that he was across the water far away. That was all she would ever say.

"Mom, where's my dad?"

"He's far away. Across the water."

"Is he coming back?"

"I don't know dear."

That was when Samantha's mother always cried.

Samantha and her mother did the dad question routine whenever they had been around other people.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear."

"How come other kids have both a mom and dad to take care of them? Where’s my dad?”

"Far away. Across the water."

"Is he coming back?"

"I don't know dear."

Samantha and her mom got along well most of the time. Her mom had a great job that let her work from home most of the time. That was when Samantha had the most time to look out the window across the lake. She wondered what was out there beyond her town, which was behind her as she looked out at the lake, but mostly she wondered what was beyond the lake. Mostly she wondered what would take a man across the water to a place far from his daughter and her mother.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear."

"What's love?"

"Love it a choice. Love is doing whatever it takes to take care of the ones who are important to you."

"Would you do anything for me?"

Her mother laughed. "Of course, dear. Well, almost anything."

"Well, what wouldn't you do for me?"

Her mother thought. "Well, I don't know. Maybe, I would do anything for you."

"I thought so."

They both laughed.

Samantha and her mother had spent many days on the frozen lake.

"Remember, you can never go farther than where you can see the house."

"Right."

"And you must not go on the ice if it has not been frozen over for at least a month."

"Right."

"And if you do happen to be out and the ice cracks beneath you, what do you do?"

"I spread out and crawl to safety."

"Right."

Samantha heard that conversation each year when the lake froze over. When she was ten, the lake froze over for longer than it ever had before. And she heard the distance conversation in her mind even on the day she ventured out for the longest walk of her young life.

"You must not go farther than where you can see the house."

Samantha kept looking back to make sure that she could see the house. But it was a day that was clearer than any winter day she could ever remember, so she walked farther than she had ever walked on the lake. She felt drawn on. It was as if somebody was calling to her.

Samantha knew that the other side of the lake was farther than she could walk in many days, but she kept looking back to see if she was getting too far from the house. She turned around from looking back and almost ran into it. A boat.

The boat was stuck in the ice. And there was a huge hole in the front. That was where he came from. He walked out of the gaping hole onto the ice. He looked directly at Samantha.

"Hello, Samantha."

Samantha was shocked. Her eyes went wide. "How do you know my name? I'm… I’m not sure I ever met you before."

The man's eyes seemed to soften. "You're right, of course. It’s been a long time since we were together."

Samantha felt her eyes get wider, if it was possible. “We know each other?"

The man laughed. It warmed Samantha's heart.

"Yes. I even watch you from here."

"You watch me?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"To make sure you're safe. To make sure your mother is safe."

Samantha could only stare at the man's face. She finally asked, "Why do you want to make sure we're safe?"

"Because I love you both very much."

"Love us?"

"Yes. I love you both."

Samantha was suspicious. "So what would you do for us to show us you love us?"

The man laughed. "Well, I'd do anything for you." He paused and looked out over the lake. "At least anything I could."

The man looked back down at Samantha. "Okay. Time to turn around. Time for you to head back home."

Samantha frowned. "But I just got here. And besides..." She turned to point back toward her house. "I can still see..." Samantha was dismayed to see that she could no longer see her house. The clear sky had turned gray. The lake looked as if the clouds had descended upon them.

Samantha looked up at the man. "I've got to go home. My mom always tells me to stay where I can see the house."

The man started walking back the way Samantha needed to go to get back home. She was still looking toward the boat and watched as the man strode purposefully in the direction of the descending clouds. And where she thought her house must be. He turned around. He did not say a thing. He just held out his hand. Samantha ran to the man and grabbed his outstretched hand.

They talked as they walked. Samantha was comfortable talking to the man. She told him about school and about her mother's work. She told him about her grandparents. Both sets. She still saw her father's parents. They were always sad though. They could never understand why their son had not returned. He was such a good sailor. He could navigate the northern lakes and seas with the best of them. And there had never been any wreckage or body. He couldn't be dead, could he?

"Everybody cries when they talk like that. I guess that's why my mom always tells me that she isn't sure if my dad will ever come home. She keeps hoping that he will. She never gives up hope."

Samantha looked up at the man. He had sniffled. She saw that he had tears streaming down his face.

"Did you know my dad?"

"Yes, Samantha. Yes, I did."

"Was he a good man?"

"I think that he tried to be."

"Did he love me and my mom?"

The man wiped away his tears with his sleeve. "Very much."

"Then why hasn't he come back? Why did he leave us?"

The man sniffed once more. "Looks like you're home."

Samantha looked in the direction they were walking. The house was visible. It was right there. The two were just steps from the shore. Samantha looked up at the man. "You should come in. Have some hot cocoa or something. Meet my mom."

The man shook his head. "I can't go any further. But I have met your mom."

Samantha cocked her head to the side as if to think. Then, she nodded her head. She understood. She stepped onto the shore. She walked a few steps and then turned around to face the man. "Do you have a message for my mom?"

The man shook his head. "Yes. Tell her that the song lyrics are true. Tell her that the lake does not give up her dead."

Samantha shook her head as if she understood, even though she had no idea what the man's words meant. She was about to turn around to go up to the house, but she changed her mind. She ran down the shore to the man on the ice. She hugged him around the waist. Then, he bent down and they had a proper hug.

"I'm glad I met you again even though I don’t remember. Thank you for taking care of me on the lake."

"I will always take care of you."

Samantha hugged the man again. Then, she walked up the shore and all the way to the house. She had the storm door open but turned to the lake before opening the door to the house. She waved to the man. Then, she blew him a kiss. The man blew her a kiss back.

Samantha ran to her mother's office. She gave her mother a big hug.

"What was that for?"

"Oh, just to say I love you."

"Okay."

Samantha looked out the window toward the lake and waved.

"Who are you waving at?" Samantha's mom turned and saw the man waving back at Samantha. She gasped.

Samantha's mom ran down the steps and out the back door. She ran onto the ice, but the man was already walking away. She shouted, "Wait!"

The man turned, but only waved. He blew a kiss to Samantha's mother. Then, he waved at Samantha, who had followed her out and grasped her mother's hand. They stood in the cold next to the ice and watched the man walk into the fog.

Samantha had to tug her mother's hand to get her to come away from the shore. It seemed to take forever, but Samantha got her mom out of the cold.

"I met my dad today. He walked me home from the middle of the lake."

Samantha's mom looked at her young daughter. She was speechless.

"Well, I went to his boat. Or maybe it was heaven. Or somewhere like it."

Samantha's mom could still not say a thing.

"We talked a lot on the way home. He mostly listened, but I figured out he was my dad when I talked about how his parents talked about their son. He cried. So I figured he must be my dad." Samantha looked at her mother who still not spoken since they had come back inside. "He told me to tell you that the song is true."

Samantha’s mom finally spoke. "Huh?"

"Yeah. I couldn't figure it out either. But when I asked him if he had a message for you, he just said to tell you that the words of the song were true. The lake doesn't give up her dead. Or something like that."

Samantha's mother spoke real words this time. "The lake may not give up her dead, but your dad brought you back to me."

"Yeah. I guess you're right. And I know my dad loves me now."

"He always has."

"Right. And today he did something that he probably really wasn't supposed to do. He brought me back to you."

Samantha smiled at her mom. She felt her mom's warm tears as they hugged.