Father's Day

• Gully Thompson, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2017

“QUIET!”
That was the word of the day for the Payne family. An exclamation from the mother, Christine, when she was sick of the two children bickering away in the back seat. The kids silenced themselves. Christine had been sour ever since Gary had walked out on her. But they moved on. “I’m hungry,” whined Casey. Katie whinged an agreement. The kids were restless after long hours of driving.
As if an answer to their prayers, a sign stood by the side of the road.
ONE-STOP SUPERMARKET! EVERYTHING YOU NEED AND MORE! 5KM AHEAD!
As the family entered the store, they were met with a blast of cool air. A cardboard cut-out of a gleeful shopkeeper greeted them at the entrance. A speech bubble protruded from his mouth. “WELCOME TO THE MILL VILLAGE SUPERSTORE! EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE, AND MORE! And the store stood by its word. It appeared to hold every item they could think of. To the left, Aisle 35: House pets, and pet necessities. To the right, Aisle 42: Literature: fiction and non-fiction. Ahead, an aisle storing gardening supplies. The family gaped, looked on in amazement and wonder. The children sped off, exploring the aisles. Christine stood alone. It was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen, something out of a fairy tale.
The store wasn’t busy, barely any customers were browsing the shelves. An elderly woman was searching the medicine aisle, a young man, pondering beauty supplies. A tap on the shoulder caused Christine to jump in surprise. A shopkeeper stood behind her, a smile plastered across his handsome face.
“Find what you’re looking for, Ma’am?” Christine felt the pressure against her eyes as she forced back a tear.
“You don’t have what I want.”
“Try Aisle 52,” the man had advised. Christine wandered to Aisle 52, Home and Family: Husbands, Fathers. She saw shelves of frozen men wrapped in plastic. Amongst them, a handsome man in his thirties, wearing a shirt and jeans. The packet read: MILES: Great father figure, dedicated family member, wonderful husband. Thaw in sun for 2 hours.
“Kids?” She called. “What do you think of this one?”
Casey wandered over to Miles. His smile was still frozen on his face, literally.
“He’s not a real daddy,” he quietly stated. “He’s not a real person. He’s a fake.”
Christine knew her son was correct. This family didn’t need an artificial father. They could get by without two parents. Christine could get by being the slightest bit lonely. “I’m sorry, I don’t think this shop has what we’re looking for,” Christine finally decided.
The man’s smile did not fade. “Well, sorry we couldn’t suit your needs.”
As the Paynes crossed the parking lot, Christine spied a man having trouble carrying his shopping.
“Help you?” Christine offered. She took a load, and they began talking.
The shopkeeper stood by the door, watching the scene unfold.
He was still smiling as the car drove off, now with one extra passenger, and rolled into the distant twilight sky.