Page 40 of This: Blake & Emon

“Hit play,” he instructed. She did as she was told slowly. She didn’t know what to expect until she heard her father’s voice come through the speaker.

Hey, Daddy’s girl. I hate I missed you, but I wanted to wish you luck on your test today. It’s your year, and I’m so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished. Uhm, you always make me proud, truly. Love you, see you later.

She dropped the recorder like it was hot. Blake’s breath hitched, her chest tightening. The moment the first syllable left the speaker, it was like the air had been sucked out of the room. Her father’s voice—warm, familiar, full of love, wrapped around her like a hug from the past. Her hands covered her mouth as a sob threatened to break free.

“Where did you find this? I lost this phone years ago,” she asked, finally finding the strength to speak. She missed her dad so much. One more phone call would do.

“Brooks turned me loose in a storage unit and I found it. I got lucky, to be honest. It was in the lining of a jacket. Thank God you saved the audio.”

This was the last voicemail she ever got from her father. She saved it to play after she lost him but soon she lost the phone and hadn’t seen it since. She was in shambles as Emon pulled her into him.

“I wanted to make you happy, baby, not sad.”

Blake wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his neck. The more time passed, the harder it got for her to remember the voice that soothed her broken heart and that encouraged her when she needed it the most. She feared eventually forgetting it altogether. And now, because of Emon, she didn’t have to.

Emon held her shaking body, wishing he could bring her dad back for her, but he couldn’t. But he could bring her the closest thing to it; a memory she could play over and over. He lifted her head by the chin and looked into her eyes.

“I am happy. So happy. I missed his voice, that’s all. This is the best thing anyone has ever gifted me, and the blanket. Thank you. I love you. I love it.”

“I love you too. I’m glad I could do this for you.” He was so humble. This was one gift she was going to cherish forever. She hadn’t heard her father’s voice in years and forgot how soothing it could be.

Blake wiped her eyes and settled into Emon’s arms on their couch. The recorder rested in her lap as she traced her fingers over the blanket, taking in each precious memory captured in the photos. Their Christmas tree danced in the corner, casting a warm glow across the room. She was thankful.

“Can I play it again?” she asked softly. Blake swiped at her damp cheeks, a small smile breaking through her emotions. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop playing it,” she admitted.

“Play it as many times as you want, baby. It’s yours.” He kissed her temple, holding her closer. “Brooks said you used to play that message before every test.”

“I did. It was like having him there with me, you know?” She pressed play again, closing her eyes as her father’s voice filled their living room. “I can’t believe you found this.”

“I’d move heaven and earth to make you smile like this.” His fingers intertwined with hers. “Your pops would be proud of the woman you’ve become.”

She looked up at him, eyes still glistening, “You think so?”

“Come on, I know so, and you know it too.”

“Yeah, he would have.” She squeezed his hand, and he stood to clean up the mess they’d made. Emon was right. Her father would have been proud of her, although it didn’t takemuch. He believed that anything she did, whether it was a success or failure, was a lesson and something she’d grow from. He was even proud of her mistakes. “We all gotta make ‘em,” he would say.

“I said it before, but I need to say it again. He’d love you and the way you love me.”

Emon stopped picking up the paper littering the living room and turned to face her fully. Something in her voice made his heart skip. “Blake—”

“No, let me say this.” She took a deep breath. “When my daddy passed, I thought that kind of love went with him. Or maybe I’d never experience a protective, nurturing, you can have the moon if you want it type of love, but you crashed into my apartment that day and...” She wiped a tear. “You love me like he taught me I deserved to be loved… unconditionally.”

Emon pulled her close, kissing her forehead. “That’s because you deserve it and fate had plans way beyond either of us could imagine.”

Blake exhaled, her fingers still tracing the edges of the recorder in her lap. “I just… I didn’t think I’d ever get to hear him again.”

“I know, baby, but now you can. Any time you want.”

“You don’t understand the gravity of what you’ve done, do you?” she asked.

“I just wanted you to have a piece of him back,” he said softly with a shrug. He believed all men would do exactly what he’d done if it meant she’d smile. “I just know how much you miss him.”

Blake held the recorder tighter, thinking about all the hours Emon must have spent in a musty, damp, cramped storage unit to find this.

“My man,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “Always doing the most.”

“For you? Yeah, and I ain’t about to stop either.” He finished gathering the wrapping paper, reaching for her hand. “You ready to head to Ma’s? She done called three times wondering where we at.”

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