At my father’s funeral, I watched my stepmother sell his beloved car before his body was even in the ground. I thought that was the worst betrayal — until a secret left under the spare tire forced us to confront everything we’d lost and everything we still had left to fight for.
The morning of Dad’s funeral, I stood in the kitchen holding a mug of cold coffee. I scrolled through photos on my phone, searching for a new detail — a grin, a wink, the oil-smudged Shelby behind us.
I tapped a photo of Dad laughing, his arm slung around me, and tried to remember the sound.
My stepmother, Karen, wasn’t in a single frame, not even the group shots.
A car horn jolted me; I nearly dropped my phone. My throat tightened like someone had cinched a rope inside it.
I tapped a photo of Dad laughing.
That’s when Karen’s number lit up the screen.
Her voice was thin and papery.
“Hazel? I can’t go today. I can’t do it… The doctor said stress could —”
“Karen, it’s Dad’s funeral. I’ll pick you up if you need…”
“I know. But I’m sorry. I just… can’t. Will you handle things?”
I swallowed hard. “Yeah. I’ll handle it.”
“I can’t go today. I can’t do it…”
I pressed the brake, feeling the familiar rumble of Dad’s Shelby settle through me. The lot was already packed. I found a spot under the old maple and killed the engine, resting my forehead on the steering wheel.
My fingers lingered on the keys — my car was in the shop, so I’d driven Dad’s all week. Every mile felt both like a tribute and a theft.
Dad should have been behind this wheel, not me. He should have been here.
Aunt Lucy hurried over as I got out, her eyes red but sharp.
“Oh, my darling girl! I can’t believe you brought it,” she said, nodding at the car.
My fingers lingered on the keys.
I shrugged, managing a wobbly smile. “He would’ve wanted it at his send-off. Besides, my Camry’s transmission finally gave up.”
She squeezed my hand. “Your father would have called that poetic.”
***
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