Wedding Ring by Emilie Richards

her,” Mack said. “All the decisions we made. Do you do that, too?”
    “Not if I can help it.”
    “I’m so glad you took that first year off with her, that you had that time together. But once you went back to work and Letty came to take care of her, she still did fine. She was so happy every day, so well adjusted.”
    Tessa had arranged her teaching schedule so that she had no late afternoon activities. They thought through every decision, every summer vacation, every holiday and holiday gift. All that had been part of the joy of being parents.
    And then, when Kayley was five, the world had fallen apart.
    With the story of Kayley’s brief life hovering there, un-concluded, Tessa was forced to think about the rest of it as they made the remainder of the walk in silence.
    Kayley, with two years of preschool behind her, had been more than excited about kindergarten. She was a bright, verbal child who made friends easily and could read most of her storybooks by herself. Her memory was extraordinary, and she seemed happiest when she was learning. Kindergarten in a “real” school was a dream about to come true for the little girl.
    When the first day of kindergarten dawned, Kayley dressed herself in the clothes she and Tessa had carefully picked out the night before. Since it was Tessa’s first day of the regular school year, as well, Mack was going to walk their daughter to the elementary school not far from their house. They had turned down a neighbor who had offered to pick up Kayley and bring her along with her own daughter. Mack had wanted to do the first-day honors himself.
    But from the moment they came down to breakfast that morning, things began to go wrong. Tessa tore the skirt she’d donned, catching a pocket on the handle of a cupboard. She ran back upstairs to change, and when she came downstairs, Mack was pacing the floor.
    There was an emergency with one of his cases, and he was needed in D.C. as quickly as possible at an arraignment. Could Tessa take Kayley to school instead?
    Tessa realized she would be late getting to the high school if she did, yet what choice did she have? Mack’s absence would cost his client far more than the minutes of planning time Tessa would miss. She agreed, grudgingly, and after a kiss and a hug for their daughter, Mack backed out of the house, apologizing as he went.
    Kayley, who was sure this was the biggest day of her life, wanted to leave that very minute, but Tessa wasn’t ready. She still had a few books and papers to gather and a follow-up phone call to Kayley’s sitter, to be sure the afternoon plans were confirmed.
    Kayley was beside herself with excitement. When she asked if she could walk to school alone, Tessa uttered a firm no, but Kayley wheedled. She would only walk to the corner and wait for Tessa there. She would not cross, but at least she would be closer, and she could watch the other children streaming toward the building.
    Tessa knew there was a crossing guard who would watch out for her daughter until Tessa arrived. Kayley was a good child, and if she said she would wait, she would. This small concession, this evidence of her new maturity, would mean the world to her.
    And so Tessa had agreed, going over the rules with her daughter as she flew around the kitchen trying to finish organizing herself to go to work. Kayley, blond hair soaring behind her as she ran out the door, was beside herself with joy.
    Tessa followed no more than four minutes later. Four minutes that had changed all their lives forever. Four minutes when fate had looked down on them, decided, perhaps, that their lives were too perfect, and intervened.
    Four minutes.
    “I had no idea the drought was this bad,” Mack said.
    Tessa realized they had stopped. They were standing on the first planks of the old dock where Kayley had liked to fish. Now the dock extended across mud flats and ended before the shallowest reaches of the pond.
    “Do you think any of the fish survived?” Mack