Queens Afternoon

This picture was taken at a small playground in Queens on one of those warm afternoons when nobody wants to go home yet.

My husband had just gotten off work, our daughter had grass stains on her knees, and I remember thinking we were tired but okay. Not rich, not settled, not sure what the next year would bring — but okay.

My parents came through New York with nothing permanent except each other. Now our daughter runs around the same city speaking two languages and asking questions we do not always know how to answer.

That feels like America to me.