Many years ago I bought my daughter a teddy bear at a flea market — after she died, I discovered WHAT she had hidden inside. About ten years earlier I was beginning as a truck driver and money was tight. It was my daughter Emily’s fourth birthday, and I desperately wanted to find her a gift. I stopped at a flea market and noticed a large white teddy bear. It looked perfect. When I handed it to Emily, she was overjoyed. She hugged it as if it were the most precious thing in the world. She slept with it, played with it, and it quickly became her favorite toy. Every time I went on a long haul, Emily would bring the bear to me, squeeze it tightly in her arms, and say: “Take it with you, Dad. It will protect you on the road.” And I did. For years that teddy bear sat in the passenger seat of my truck. We drove nearly the whole country together.
When I returned home, Emily would always say: “See, Dad, my teddy bear protected you and reminded you of me so you wouldn’t feel lonely.” Even after Emily grew up and stopped playing with the bear, I would still sometimes take it with me on the road. It had become a tradition.
Emily would laugh at me, and I loved that. When Emily was fourteen, she died. Cancer took her. My life shattered into pieces. *She was my entire world.*
After her funeral, I didn’t want to breathe. I didn’t know how to go on. Eventually I started driving my truck again, just to have a reason to leave the house sometimes. One morning, while getting ready to head out, I suddenly noticed the teddy bear was missing from the passenger seat.
I took it with me again. I couldn’t do otherwise. That teddy bear made me feel like Emily was still with me. As I placed the bear on the passenger seat, I **HEARD A CRACK**.
It sounded as if something inside the bear had snapped. I turned it over and saw an uneven seam on its back — it had come slightly apart. I opened it and found an envelope inside, along with a small voice recorder. I turned pale as I listened to the recording. “EMILY… HOW COULD YOU HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM ME?” my voice trembled.
