He checked the time and saw there was no chance to go back and change, so he climbed into the cab and drove straight to the yard. Mike had been hauling freight for close to ten years, but leaving home never got easier—not with Polly waiting behind.
After his wife died, every trip felt heavier. Still, thanks to a good neighbor who never hesitated to help, he’d managed to keep life moving. “Hey, how’s it looking?” Mike asked his coworker when he reached the loading area. “All set. Freight’s loaded, paperwork’s done. We can roll whenever you are.”
“Good. What are we hauling?” Mike asked. “Household appliances and electronics. Smartphones, microwaves, a couple of refrigeration units, some gas ranges.” “Got it,” Mike said with a nod.
After stowing his bag in the cab, he walked around the trailer to check the load straps one more time. The next few days passed in a blur of highway miles. Both men knew people were waiting for them at home, so instead of wasting time at motels, they slept in shifts in the truck. Once the delivery was made, they turned right around and headed back.
Somewhere in the grind of the road, Mike completely forgot the promise he’d made about the toy. His mind was fixed on getting home. Then, with about three hours left to drive, his phone rang. “Hi, Daddy! How are you?” Polly’s bright little voice came through the speaker.
“Hey there, sweetheart. We dropped off the load and we’re on our way back. If traffic’s kind, I’ll be home by dinner. Have you been behaving? Eleanor hasn’t had any complaints, has she?” he asked.
“Nope! I was very good. Yesterday we cleaned up, and today we’re making dinner. I helped flip pancakes and I washed the cucumbers for the salad!” Polly said proudly, eager to sound grown-up.
“That’s my girl. Then tomorrow we are definitely going to the carousel.” “Yay! Did you bring my present?” she asked suddenly, reminding him of the one thing he’d forgotten.
Mike always tried to bring back at least a little souvenir from his trips. Polly even kept them in a special box. “Sure did,” he said, bluffing on instinct while his stomach dropped. “I think you’re really going to like it.”
After promising he’d be home in time for a hot dinner, he hung up and started trying to figure out how to fix the situation without disappointing his daughter. “Can you believe this? I promised Polly a toy and completely forgot,” he said to his partner. Outside, it was already getting dark, and the odds of finding an open toy store off the highway were slim to none.
“Don’t panic,” his partner, Sam, said calmly. “We’ll figure something out.”
“By the time we get back to our neighborhood, everything’ll be closed.” “Yeah, that’s not ideal. But there’s a decent-sized town coming up. They’ve got roadside stands and a little market. We can probably find something there.”
“I’ve picked up stuff for my own kids there before,” Sam added. Sure enough, before long the lights of a roadside town appeared ahead. In the middle of all that dark highway, it looked almost welcoming—small shops lit up, people still out, a little life at the edge of the road.
Mike parked near a row of women selling produce and homemade goods and hurried over. “Evening. Any chance there’s somewhere around here I can buy a toy?” he asked politely. “Evening to you too,” one of the women said. “Only toy shop in town closed a couple weeks ago. Owners moved to the city.”
“Well, that’s just my luck,” Mike muttered, already realizing his options were running out. “Now, hold on,” another woman said. “There’s an older lady here—Tammy Ingram. She makes dolls by hand. Maybe she’s got something.” “How do I find her?” Mike asked.
“She didn’t come out today. Said she wasn’t feeling well. Probably home in bed.” “Can you give me the address?” Mike asked, glancing at the time.
