Into the Light

69

"Sir, I really need-" I started. Just then, the man flipped a switch on the toy and some red lights flashed on a little screen. A robotic voice started singing a song about numbers. What got me the most was that the old man, Tommy, slammed his fist down on the table, and looked up at us with a giant smile. One so infectious that I had to smile back. "Hi son, my name's Tommy. I see you have a Teddy Ruxpin. I'm guessing my dear wife talked you into recording a message for someone you love?" He stood up and pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers in such a heated kiss, that I almost got embarrassed. "I just love to see kids in love," the lady cooed, looking up at the man. He grinned and swatted her butt. I felt my mouth drop open and Tommy laughed. "If you're lucky, you'll still be doing that with the woman you love at my age. Now, let me see that bear." I passed it over to him and smiled. "I hope that I am as lucky as you sir. You two seem very happy." "Couldn't imagine my life without the old ball and chain," he replied. "Hush you," she replied, with a loving grin. "Come over here and we'll get started recording, while he does what he does." She took my by the arm and guided me over to another little work bench towards the back of the cluttered room. On top of it, sat a black tape recorder with the tape deck open. Attached to that was a basic black microphone. I could already hear the old crackles that were sure to come with the recording. Couldn't complain though. It was old school, which was Anna, and it was only $10. "Now, do you know what you want to say?" she asked, while popping a cassette tape in the machine and closing the deck. I rubbed my chin and thought about it. What could I say? What would be enough? After a few moments, I nodded. "Yes ma'am." "Okay, great! Ready when you are," she replied, holding the microphone out to me. It took me 3 or 4 tries, and a lot of rewinding, but we finally had it perfectly. "Now, let's get this to Tommy and see how our Teddy sounds with it," she said, taking the tape out of the deck. "Just in time," the old man replied, seeing us walking up. He twisted the small screwdriver against the back panel of the bear, sealed the velcro, then sat the bear right side up. "He's all ready to go. Let's see the tape." He held his hand out for it and his wife set it inside his palm. I watched him open a different section of velcro on the back of the bear, where the tape deck was, and put the tape inside. The tape that I had just poured my heart into in a matter of minutes. He slid a little black peg over on the battery pack, then closed it up. "Ready to hear it?" he asked. I licked my lips nervously and nodded. Why was I nervous? She wasn't even in here. But they were. These people that I didn't even know. He pressed a button and my voice filled the little room. The bear's eyes blinked and his mouth started to move along with my words. It was pretty strange to watch. Kind of creepy, but just the right thing for Anna. I hoped. As my words slipped away with the final note, the old woman, touched her sleeve to her eye and sniffed. "Oh my, that was so sweet. Honey, if she doesn't love it, then she isn't the one," she whispered and took my hand. "You have a gentle heart. Keep it safe." I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded. "Okay, quit your whimpering," the old man said, smiling at her tenderly. "Go take the man's money so he can leave." She smiled, kissed him on the cheek, then led me out to the register in the front of the store. I passed Sam and Katrina, so they followed behind me. "Did you want anything else?" the old woman asked. "No ma'am. This is all," I answered. I tapped my card to pay, then took my receipt. "She will love it," she said, before patting my hand one more time. "Have a great day and come back to see us." We all walked out and back to the car, with me holding the bear. "Can we hear it?" Kat asked, once we were seated. I shook my head. "No. This is personal. Maybe another time. After she has heard it." "You suck," she pouted. I laughed and tapped the top of her head. "I'm sure that you two are suck good friends by now that she'll share everything with you anyway." A big smile spread across her face. "Oh yeah. You're right. I'll know soon enough." I groaned over Sam's laughter. "Can we keep pretending like you don't know, after you know?" I begged. "Oh hell no!" Sam exclaimed, pulling out onto the busy road. "Since you don't want anyone to hear, that probably means that it's cheesy as fuck, and deserves an ample amount of teasing. It's the rules. I'll give you enough time to come to terms with it, however." "So fucking annoying," I grumbled. "You love us," Kat said, smiling back at me. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone to text Brennen. After I let him know that we would be there soon, I stared at the old bear. I had actually gotten a decent deal for him. He was near perfect condition, minus a ding in one of his glass eyes. You could barely even see it. Sam turned up the music and he and Kat started doing nauseating couple songs. I turned my attention to the window and the world outside. What would Anna think about my declaration? It wasn't a big deal, right? She already kind of knew that I was falling in love with her. I had already said the words and so had she. Regardless of the fact that we were under dire situations, we still said them. I started sweating, thinking about the possibility that she may not feel the same anymore. What if something changed when she came back to life? What if being human again completely altered her feelings? I mean, her attraction to me was evident, but that didn't mean that she loved me or had feelings for me. I took a deep breath and shook my head at myself. Why was I on the verge of having an anxiety attack over this? It was Anna. My Anna.