Ben nodded. “Yeah, it’s Father’s Day. At least, it’s Father’s Day on Coruscant. I don’tknow that it’s celebrated here on Tatooine, but…anyway, I cooked. It’s ready whenyou are.” “Go on in, I’ll just be another minute or two.” “Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll set the table.” He left, feeling Luke’s eyes follow his every move. He could sense his father’scuriosity as well. He allowed himself a small smile as he took the lift back up fromthe garage.*******************************************************************Ben felt his father approaching and he quickly placed his Father’s Day gift on thetable where Luke could see it when he entered the homestead. Then he stood andwaited.The moment Luke stepped into the kitchen, his breath caught in his throat and hiseyes watered. There, sitting on the table as the centerpiece was a framed holo of Mara. She was seated in a chair in their old apartment on Coruscant and was smilingbrightly at the holocamera. The love in her eyes seemed jump right off the holo. “Where did you find that holograph?” Luke finally asked, his heart still thundering inhis chest.Ben cleared his throat. “I was looking through some of the old albums and I found it.She…she looks so happy in that holo that I…there were others but I knew you tookthis one. That’s why she was smiling like that; like everything in her world madesense to her in that moment.” Luke reached out and first he touched the intricate carvings on the wood frame. “Didyou carve these designs?” Ben swallowed through his own emotions. “Yeah, with that old energy cutter thatUncle Han gave you.” Luke nodded. “It’s beautiful work. I didn’t know you were so good at wood-carving.” Ben shrugged. “Neither did I. It turned out better than I expected.” Luke didn’t answer. He was staring at the holo of his wife. Her smile had lit everydark corner of his life when she’d come into it, and her death had brought utterdarkness. Ben was his only saving grace. He filled the void as best as a son could.Their eyes met when he finally looked up. “It’s been so long since…you don’t have any holos of her here at all and most of herthings are packed away,” Ben began. “I just…I wanted to give her back to you,somehow. I thought maybe a holo would be a good idea, and the idea of using it as acenterpiece on the table was Jaina’s suggestion.” The tears that had welled up in his eyes finally fell. “Thank you, son.”
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