I left both routes open.
Harold came home shortly after six.
Sasha and Nicki were doing homework.
“We need to talk.”
“Excellent.”
I turned my phone toward him.
“Twelve minutes.”
He looked at the screen.
“What?”
“Taking your daughters to school adds twelve minutes.”
Then I showed him the second route.
“Adele adds twenty-five.”
Sasha leaned over.
“Twelve is smaller.”
Nicki nodded.
“Way smaller.”
Harold closed his eyes.
“Thank you, girls.”
“You’re welcome,” Nicki said.
I almost laughed.
Harold sat down.
“It wasn’t about the minutes.”
“Then what was it about?”
For once, he didn’t have an immediate answer.
Finally, he said:
“Adele appreciated it.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“She said thank you.”
He rubbed his thumb against the table.
“Every morning she called me a lifesaver.”
I looked at Sasha.
Then Nicki.
“And your daughters?”
“They don’t…”
He stopped.
“They don’t what?”
Harold looked embarrassed.
“They don’t thank me for being their father.”
For one second, he almost looked relieved.
