It's that day again. One more year, more thoughts, more memories. But here's a place where she has all the memories she needs.
-Hi dad.
-Kate, come on in.
She cuddles her father strongly; it had been a while since she hasn't visited him.
-Is everything ok?
-Yeah dad, everything's fine. I came here, you know-
-For the box.
-Yes.
Jim embraces his daughter putting his arm around her shoulders and leads her to his bedroom. While she sits on the edge of the bed, Jim goes get a cardboard box and sits next to her.
-Do you remember Mr. Bear?
-Yes, I took him everywhere. – She says holding a teddy bear, yellowish brown faded, full of lint, with a rip on one of the ears and with a red silk tie that used to be huge at first but that had been ripping over the years.
-Do you remember when you lost the tie?
-Yes. I made mom look everywhere to find it.
-And when we tried to fool you putting another tie, you got even angrier because you knew that wasn't the old tie.
-I had left it on the ice cream parlor; the manager kept it and then he returned it to you.
-It was a problem to make you sleep on that night. You were always crying; I and your mother saying we would find another tie-
-And then I cried even more because I didn't wanted another tie, I wanted the old one.
-I have to say that was a rough night. You fell asleep already in the dawn, but you just fell asleep because you were too tired.
-I remember, - She laughs. – I fell asleep in your bed.
-Look at this photo. – He says handing it to her. – March, 18th 1984.
-Yes. Yes, I remember: my 7th birthday. Mom just had bought me this dress, - She says while strokes the picture. She was wearing a yellow dress, the simplest possible. – Look, my first teeth had fallen some days ago and I smiled to the picture.
-Mom had just bought you that dress and…- Her father asks seeing she is avoiding the dress story.
-And I messed it all-
-I think you did it a bit on purpose!
-I did not! – She says like she was 7 again. – I messed it up eating breakfast.
-And it ended up stained!
-It was an accident. I tried to clean it up, but I done even worst. I wet it and then I needed to clean it. I ran to the bedroom and took a shirt from drawer and tried to wipe it, but the shirt was red…
-I still think you did it a bit on purpose!
-I know I didn't liked dresses too much, but mom gave it to me on my 7th birthday and she really liked it to see me on it.
-Look at this photo here. June, 25th 1980. You, me and Joe Torre.
-My first baseball game. At that time, he was on New York Mets. It was unbelievable, I loved it so much.
-I think you were the smaller girl in the all stadium, you were only 3.
-This photo is a relic! At least for me, it is!
-Look this one; you were 4 or 5 at the time when we gave you your fist bicycle.
-Ouch! I fell a lot of times.
-But you never gave up, and you probably don't remember but you learned alone how to ride the bike.
-Really?
-Yes. One day, your mother and I, we came from work and you were riding inside of the house.
-I really don't recall that.
-Look what I found! – Jim says taking another photo. – Your 16's job.
-Oh, no dad, no, no, no!
-No why? This photo is just perfect.
-I was 16, dad, I needed some money.
-Too bad that every time we took you to a tennis court, you never hit the ball!
-Ok dad, let's keep that photo again. Show me another one.
-Look, it's you and Nate.
-Oh my God, look at Nate. And look at me.
-You were going to the prom.
-You threatened him so much, that he was scared all night.
-I just told him to take good care of my girl!
-And the rest, and all the rest you never told me...
-And I will never tell you! But he was a good boy. I wonder what is made of him.
-Yeah, I would like to see him, to see if he changed too much since high school.
-Do you remember Snowy?
-Hum, so cute. I would love to have Snowy again, our little and white Labrador.
-Yeah, he was really adorable.
-I hated when he always insisted in licking my face-
-And he was always doing it!
-Too bad he died too young.
-You next sitting on Abram Lincoln's lap.
-I remember our trip to Washington. I was, what, 11, 12 years old?
-Kind of. – He says taking another photo. – And on this one you were at the White House gates.
-I keep in mind what I wanted to do.
-Yes, your mother laughed so much. You wanted to get in the White House and kick George Bush's ass.
-I couldn't understand why did Bush send troops to invade Panama?
-Politics, something that I will never understand.
-Neither me!
-Look the photo of the police graduation ceremony.
None of them spoke for a while, but then Jim speaks when he hears Kate sniffing. He hugs her.
-She would be so proud of you Katie, as proud as I am.
-I miss her.
-I miss her too. But, the universe gives you things you can't handle. That's something she always said it will never change.
-But we can overcome them…
-Exactly…
-Thanks dad for this little time.
-You're welcome, come whenever you want. I appreciate face to face contact, but a phone call is good too…
-Bye. – She says getting up.
-Bye. – He says returning the smile she gave him.
She walks through the graves and kneels next to the one she's visiting. She leaves a white rose and sits.
-Hi mom. I have just been with dad, he's fine so as me. We miss you so much, but I guess that I already told you that before. Life is going good with me. The job on the precinct is going just fine; I have the best…three partners in the world. I have the two best friends in the world: Lanie and...Castle. I have talked about him before, do you remember? Anyway, I have the best boss ever. I have the best father, so as the best mother. You were right: the universe really gives you things you can't handle, and the worst is that are always feelings. But, we just have to overcome through it all. That's what challenges are made of: choices. Dad and I have been seeing again those old photos. We were so happy at that time. But now, we will still happy, I promise. I won't let the anger, the pain, the fear, the revenge or even the jealously drag me down. I will face the world as you taught me: seeing the good things of everything. Bye mom, I will come back soon. I miss you so much. Wish you were here only for a minute so I could tell you how much dad and I miss and love you.
When she gets up, she sees a small paper under another rose that was there and she hadn't seen. She reads the little paper, and smiles brightly.
"Thank you for making of Kate the wonderful woman she is today: my muse. She's extraordinary."