Sometimes I imagined hearing it while walking across campus, wondering if I would somehow recognize it. Now\u2026 I didn\u2019t have to imagine anymore. It was waiting. Only a few feet away. Mrs. Voss slowly walked toward Lucan\u2019s bookshelf. Every step looked painful. Not because of her age. Because every inch of that room belonged to memories she had tried desperately to preserve. She knelt beside the bottom shelf. Hidden behind a row of engineering books sat an old portable cassette player. Dust covered the plastic lid. The batteries had long since died. Mrs. Voss smiled sadly. \u201cHe used to carry this everywhere.\u201d \u201cHe recorded ideas.\u201d \u201cHe recorded songs.\u201d \u201cHe even practiced speeches before job interviews.\u201d She gently brushed the dust away with the sleeve of her sweater. \u201cI couldn\u2019t throw it away.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I looked at the machine. \u201cDoes it still work?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d She opened a nearby drawer. Inside lay dozens of neatly organized batteries. Still sealed. Still unused. \u201cI bought new batteries every Christmas.\u201d She laughed softly through her tears. \u201cI suppose I hoped.\u201d No one laughed. Hope had become the quiet heartbeat of this house. Mrs. Voss carefully inserted the batteries. The player made a soft mechanical click. Then\u2026 The tiny red power light blinked. It still worked. She looked at me. \u201cYou should do it.\u201d My fingers trembled as I placed the cassette inside. The lid closed with a gentle snap. Nobody moved. Not Bram. Not Sabine. Not even Calder. The room had become a courtroom without a judge. Every person present was waiting for testimony from the only witness who could never return. I pressed PLAY. For several seconds\u2026 Nothing. Only static. The soft hiss of old magnetic tape. Then\u2026 A man\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Young. Warm. Gentle. \u201cTesting\u2026\u201d A small laugh followed. \u201cI never know if these things are recording.\u201d The sound hit me like a wave. I had never heard him before. Yet something inside me recognized him instantly. Not because we shared blood. Because every part of me wanted him to be real. Mrs. Voss closed her eyes. A smile broke across her face. \u201cThat\u2019s my boy.\u201d The recording continued. \u201cIf this tape ever reaches my son\u2026\u201d He laughed nervously. \u201cThat sentence still feels strange.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve only known you exist for three weeks.\u201d \u201cBut somehow\u2026\u201d \u201cI already miss you.\u201d Silence filled the room. Even Calder quietly wiped his eyes. Lucan continued. \u201cYour grandmother always tells me I talk too much.\u201d Mrs. Voss laughed through tears. \u201cI do.\u201d The tape captured Lucan laughing. \u201cYou hear that?\u201d \u201cShe\u2019s correcting me even though she isn\u2019t in the room.\u201d Mrs. Voss covered her mouth. \u201cHe recorded this while I was grocery shopping.\u201d The tape continued. \u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019re a son or a daughter.\u201d \u201cBut your grandmother insists you\u2019re going to be stubborn.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she\u2019s probably right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you inherit your mother\u2019s kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you inherit anything from me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope it\u2019s curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you never accept easy answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became painfully quiet.<\/p>\n
Because that\u2026<\/p>\n
More than anything\u2026<\/p>\n
Was exactly what had brought me here.<\/p>\n
Questions.<\/p>\n
Lucan continued speaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already started fixing your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou aren\u2019t even born yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I painted it yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI picked light blue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour grandmother says babies don\u2019t care what color walls are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe she\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I wanted everything perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Voss quietly whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked around the preserved bedroom.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was going to become yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
Lucan kept talking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI built a little bookshelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know babies can\u2019t read.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut someday\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll read to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already bought six books.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve started practicing the voices.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think my bear voice still needs work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even through tears\u2026<\/p>\n
Mrs. Voss laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made every animal sound exactly the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time since entering that house\u2026<\/p>\n
Real laughter echoed through the room.<\/p>\n
Brief.<\/p>\n
Fragile.<\/p>\n
Beautiful.<\/p>\n
Then the tape became serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf something happens before we meet\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
A long pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to remember something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t afraid of being poor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t afraid of losing the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t afraid of disappointing my father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing that frightened me\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026was the possibility that someone would convince you I didn\u2019t love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breathing stopped.<\/p>\n
Lucan continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that ever happens\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to fight that lie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFight it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t let bitterness become your inheritance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cChoose people who stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been thinking a lot about fathers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy own father taught me how to build things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also taught me how pride destroys families.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI break that pattern.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope when you\u2019re scared\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026you run toward the people you love.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot away from them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Voss quietly began crying again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s exactly who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
She whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always ran toward people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tape crackled softly.<\/p>\n
Then Lucan laughed again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should probably stop talking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I keep going\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026your grandmother will tell me I\u2019ve filled an entire cassette.\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman\u2019s voice suddenly echoed faintly in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cLucan!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Voss gasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDinner\u2019s ready!\u201d<\/p>\n
The tape captured Lucan laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother always knows when I\u2019m avoiding food.\u201d<\/p>\n
His footsteps echoed.<\/p>\n
Then\u2026<\/p>\n
Before the recording ended\u2026<\/p>\n
He came back.<\/p>\n
Almost as though he\u2019d forgotten something.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne last thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we ever meet\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you hug me first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m probably going to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve waited a long time to become your dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tape clicked.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Complete silence.<\/p>\n
No one inside the room moved.<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
The cassette had ended.<\/p>\n
But somehow\u2026<\/p>\n
My father had just walked back into the house.<\/p>\n
I lowered my head.<\/p>\n
Tears fell freely onto the old cassette player.<\/p>\n
I whispered words I had waited my whole life to say.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve hugged you first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs. Voss wrapped both arms around me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us tried to stop crying.<\/p>\n
Across the room\u2026<\/p>\n
Bram quietly sank into the old chair.<\/p>\n
Sabine covered her face.<\/p>\n
Even Calder looked broken.<\/p>\n
For the first time in decades\u2026<\/p>\n
No one argued.<\/p>\n
No one lied.<\/p>\n
No one defended themselves.<\/p>\n
The only thing left in Lucan\u2019s room\u2026<\/p>\n
Was the truth.<\/p>\n
And the voice of a father\u2026<\/p>\n
Who had loved his son long before they ever had the chance to meet.<\/p>\n