Her faded curtains remained above the sink.
And beneath the counter, I found Dad’s old cassette player.
Gabriel carefully cleaned it and placed the first tape inside.
“I can leave if you’d rather listen alone,” he offered.
I shook my head.
“No. You’ve waited eleven years to give me these. Stay for the first one.”
He sat across from me.
The machine clicked.
A soft hiss filled the room.
Then I heard a voice I hadn’t heard since childhood.
“Happy eighteenth birthday, my beautiful girl.”
My hands flew to my mouth.
Dad laughed softly on the recording.
“I hope you’re taller than I was at your age. Your mother will probably insist you’re still her little girl.”
Tears blurred my vision.
He told stories about the day I was born, the first time he’d held me, and the dreams he had for my future.
