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It was late when Karen got out of an interview for a case, she checked her phone for messages and a smile illuminated her tired face. She listened to a voicemail from Matt: “Hi sweetheart, I’m heading to Fogwell’s. I won’t be there for long, see you at home. Love you, bye.“ But Karen had other plans in mind.
Matt was waiting for her at the door when she arrived. He received her with a smile and a kiss, then made a gesture to let her come into the dark building.
“I hope you don’t mind me coming here.”
“I wasn’t expecting you, I was surprised when I heard your footsteps outside,” Matt said while walking towards the light switch.
“Well, honestly, I couldn’t wait to see you.” She followed him and planted another kiss on his neck from behind while he was turning on the lights.
He turned to face her and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. “Me too, I haven’t seen you since we left for work this morning.”
“Yes, I had a busy day. How about you? Blowing off some steam?”
“Not really. It’s just…” He separated from Karen and walked towards the lockers.
Karen replied with a —“hmm?” — and followed him.
He opened the little metal door and got his gym bag out. “I’m missing my father today and… being here makes me feel closer to him.”
Karen smiled and hugged him, rubbing his back slowly but firmly. “I can wait for you at home if you need more time.”
“Thanks, but it's okay, I’m ready to leave.”
They arrived at Karen's apartment which was slowly turning into their apartment. As Matt was spending more time there, they rearranged the furniture and made space for some of his belongings. Most of the jars and cans in the kitchen were labeled in Braille. Karen knew that he would not need all these changes to navigate the apartment and that they would eventually move somewhere more convenient for his extracurricular activities, but she wanted to make him feel at home.
Karen got the takeout Indian food that they ordered on their way back home and put it in the microwave to reheat. Matt got some plates and proceeded to prepare the table.
“What did your father look like? Do you remember?” Karen asked while serving the curry, its hot and spicy fragrance flooded the room.
“I don’t remember much, his face looks blurry in my memories, but I do remember him having dark hair and blue eyes, I think. They were swollen most of the time so it was difficult to tell.” Matt smiled, then took a spoonful of white rice mixed in with the reddish concoction in his mouth.
Karen swallowed her first bite, then put her hand on his forearm, rubbing it gently.
“Do you have any photos?”
“Not really, I got no use for them.” Matt grinned.
“What was he like?” she asked as she mixed her food with the fork.
“He was always telling me to study. He didn’t want me to be like him. He would take me to the gym and I would do my homework while he trained. He taught me a lot of things, he was a good dad.”
They finished eating and cleaning up and Matt changed into the black suit to go out on patrol. Karen put his burner phone in his pocket and kissed his lips.
“Stop or I will not be able to leave.”
Karen smiled. “Go, I’ll be here for you when you come back home.”
One last kiss and he was out. Karen called Sister Maggie and gave her a mission: Find the best photos of Jack Murdock.
When Matt came back he found Karen asleep with her computer still on her lap. He closed it, took it out carefully so as not to wake her up, took a shower and went straight to bed.
The next morning Karen woke Matt up with a kiss. “Good morning, gorgeous man.”
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he replied in a sleepy voice.
“I’m going out early today, I have to work on an investigation. I’ll try to be home early and cook something nice.”
“Sounds great. Have a good day, see you later.”
Karen went straight to church to see Sister Maggie. They went over Jack's photos and Karen selected the best two. One portrait and one with his side profile. Maggie also showed Matt’s baby photos to Karen, she didn’t have many but still, she gave one to Karen, who left delighted.
She took Jack’s photos to one of the firm’s previous clients who was a sculptor. The artist didn’t have a lot of money at the time to pay them but they still helped her, so she was happy to return the favor.
Several weeks later Karen got a call from the sculptor, Jack Murdock’s face sculpture was ready. She picked it up and brought it to Maggie for her approval.
Maggie’s eyes got full of tears when she saw the sculpture. “Just as I remember him,” she said as she touched it and admired it. “She did a great job, I’m sure Matt will love it.”
“I’m so glad you think so. I would have loved to meet him in person.”
“I’m sure he would have liked you.”
Karen’s cheeks got a little red. “I have to leave, today is our anniversary of being an official couple and I wanted to give him this as a surprise gift. Thank you for making this possible.”
“No, thank you, for making my son happy.”
They said their goodbyes and Karen left for home. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach intensify as the taxi got closer to her apartment. She finally arrived but Matt was not there. She looked all around the apartment for gift wrapping paper but all she could find was some leftover Christmas wrapper.
“He probably won’t notice if I don’t tell him,” she thought while wrapping the box. Just when she finished, Matt arrived.
“I’m sorry, I got caught up with a client and didn’t notice I was already late,” he said while planting a kiss on her forehead, then he presented her with the biggest bouquet of red roses she had ever seen.
“Wow, thanks. Actually, you have perfect timing,” she said, getting closer to his face until she kissed him on the lips.
She then walked to the kitchen. “Okay, here’s the thing,” she said while picking a jar and filling it with water to put the flowers in. “I wanted to give you your gift after we had dinner, but the anticipation is killing me. So, do you mind opening your gift now?”
He smiled, “Not at all…”
She giddily took Matt by the hand and guided him to the table where the box was.
“Open the box,” she said with a smile. Matt touched the box to find the edge of the wrapping paper and pulled it off. He was smiling as he was opening the box. Then he put one hand inside and tried to lift the figure. “It’s heavy,” he said as he put his other hand inside the box and finally lifted it and put it on the table. Then he carefully traced his fingers around it trying to feel every line and curve with his fingertips. Karen could not take her eyes off of him.
At first he cocked his head and frowned inquisitively, his expression slowly relaxed as he touched it more and more. His eyes started to water as he concentrated on the nose, eyes and mouth.
“It’s…it’s my father,” he said as a tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek.
He sat down in front of his father’s face and Karen sat beside him. She put her hand on his shoulder wondering if he was okay. He started talking as if he could read her mind.
“One night, after I lost my sight, he heard me crying in my bed, came to my room and asked me why I was crying. I told him I was sad because I was never going to see him again. He took my hands and put them on his face. He asked me if I could feel it, and I said yes, then he asked me if I could hear him, and I said yes. He told me to be grateful that I still had the rest of my senses. He told me that he was always going to be there, close to me when I needed him. Then he died and I was so mad. So mad that he broke his promise. Not only I could never see him again, but I could never hear his voice or touch him. I was able to forgive him not so long ago but I still miss him.”
She quickly embraced him.
“Thanks, thanks for making me remember him.”
Just when her arms started to feel numb, he broke the silence.
“How did you do it?”
“Your mom helped me find photos of your dad and I took them to Ana, remember her? The sculptor that we helped with the fraud case?”
“Yes, I remember her. Wow, thanks, again, I have no words,” he said, as they dried each other’s tears with their thumbs and smiled.
He kissed her again… and again… and again. They missed their restaurant reservation, dinner had to wait, but Matt showed Karen how thankful he was and they were very happy and satisfied in all aspects by the end of the night.