Love, Dad | Joe Cruz

Chapter 8 PT2: Burning Couch

Cruz digs through one of the boxes Tatia sitting next to him looking through another. She was wearing her dad's old Chicago bears baseball cap that she just found, it was a little big but Joe tightened it for her. She comes across a shoe box with "Letters for Tatia" written on top of it. No one ever mentioned this to her.

"Uncle Joe, what's this?" She lifts the box. He looks down at it. He forgot all about those.

"You're dad wrote letters for you. I forgot all about them."

"Can I read them now?" she asks opening the box they were neatly stacked up each one labeled.

"Actually they're for big moments in your life. But I do think there are some pick-me-up ones and you can read one now or save them for when you really need it. But there should be a thumb drive that you should listen to tonight." Joe says. She looks down at the box. She only has so many of the letters so maybe she should save them for a really bad time.

"I'll wait. But can I listen to the thumb drive?"

"Yeah, it should be in that box. Why don't you find it and I'll keep looking for that photo album?"

"Okay." Tatia begins carefully moving around the envelopes.  She finds the thumb drive with a piece of tape on it. "I found it." 

"Then let's go listen to it huh?" Joe stands up grabbing her hand to pull her up. They walk out to where his laptop sat on the table. He opens it and lets Tati sit on his knee as he plugs in the drive. "Ready Mija?"

"Yeah." She says and he clicks play.

"I don't know what to say. This is take number 100 if I had to take a guess." Otis' voice surrounds her, nothing else matters as she listens closely tears forming in her eyes. Cruz was barely holding himself together, listening to his best friend's voice for the first time in 3 months. She stares at the wallpaper on the computer a photo of Otis, Cruz, and her last year at her school Christmas play. "I guess I'll start here it is 2018 you are 8 years old and the smartest kid I know. Even if you're also the second biggest troublemaker I know, Annabelle being the first. I'm recording this so you never forget my voice, and well this is more personal than my podcast. Just to you from me. I just wanted to make sure you always know I love you so much, Tater tots. I'm so damn proud of you and always will be. Я тебя люблю Будь добр к своему дяде Cruz. Love, Dad." And it ends. (Translation: I love you, Be kind to your uncle)

"Why don't you keep this and the letters in your room? So you can listen or read them whenever you need to." Joe suggests to the young girl who wipes her tears away. He doesn't bother asking what the Russian words mean.

"Yes please."

"Okay."

"Can I listen to his podcast? Where he talks about the job and stuff."  Tatia asks him.

"Uh yeah. I'll load a few of the episodes onto your tablet so you can listen to them whenever you want." Joe tells her smiling.

"Thanks, uncle Joe can we keep looking for the photo album?"

"Yeah come on kiddo." Joe stands her up ruffling her hair and follows her back to his room. They find the photo album before too long and go into the living room to look through it. "If you want any of them copied let me know and we'll set them aside," Joe says opening the book that sat on his lap. Tati sat beside him leaning into him so she can see the book.

"Yep!" She says looking at the photos on the first page. "There's mom! Why haven't I seen this photo?" she asks pointing to a photo with her parents in it. Her mom stands in front of 81 grinning Otis standing next to her. he was an 8-month-old Tatiana who was in a onesie that said: "Future firefighter just like my daddy" he was also grinning.