Delores Parker's Arc

Chapter 5 of 8

The shining cars were ready, but Delores wasn't done. She had been thinking about the sixth father all morning. The answer was simple. It was her husband. He had built the garage, gathered the families, and lined up the cars. He deserved a slot of his own. She walked inside and picked up the smartwatch she had wrapped for him. She had loaded it with notes on the men he might pick for fathers four and five. He could tap through and decide on his own time. It felt fair to hand him that choice. She found him in the garage and held out the spare ring of keys. "I'll fill them all up today," she said. "Every tank. You've done enough." He blinked at her, then laughed and dropped the keys in her palm. She pocketed them before he could change his mind. While he scrolled through the watch, Delores slipped out back. She had tidied a clean patch of grass under a bright tribute sign that already carried his name. A folding chair waited there. Six small knit ties sat folded on the seat, one for each father, stitched slow over many evenings. She set his tie on top of the stack. Blue, with red stripes. His favorite colors. Then she drove the first car down the road to fuel it up, counting from her hidden plate so she wouldn't lose track. By dusk all six tanks were full and the ties were laid out in a neat row. Her husband stood under his sign, reading his own name, quiet. Delores had named him the sixth father. He didn't argue. He just reached for her hand.