He breathed in her hair, the sweet-smelling thickness of it. My father usually agreed with her requests, because stamped in his two-footed stance and jaw was the word Provider, and he loved her the way a bird-watcher's heart leaps when he hears the call of the roseate spoonbill, a fluffy pink wader, calling its lilting coo-coo from the mangroves. Check, says the bird-watcher. Sure, said my father, tapping a handful of mail against her back.
The excerpt conveys a deep and affectionate relationship between the father and the mother. The father’s nature as a Provider is evident in how he readily agrees to her requests, reflecting his dedication and love for her. The metaphor comparing his love to that of a bird-watcher’s excitement upon spotting a rare bird captures both the tenderness and admiration he holds for her.
The sensory description of the mother’s hair adds...