A Mother's Day gift (sort of)

This store was the last stop of the day.
Ashley jumped down from the pickup, landing on the cement with a click of boot heels. She slammed the pickup door shut. It was humid and hot outside. If her hair hadn't been in a ponytail it would have been a floofy mess. There were thunderheads massing in the west. No wonder it was humid out.
She turned and followed Dad into the store. Being around so many people always made her nervous but at least going to town with Dad was more of an adventure than with Mom. Her mother made her talk to people and tried to get Ashley to talk back. Dad just joked and didn't usually expect a reply. Ashley enjoyed that.
Dad got a shopping cart. He usually bought more stuff than he needed. Mom called it junk. Dad called it necessary. Ashley just carried things.
"Suppose they still have chickens?" Dad leaned over and whispered at Ashley. Well, it wasn't really a whisper but he didn't say the words out loud either. Neither of them said the words out loud. It had been at least five years since they'd gotten any chickens at their house.
The discussion had been raging for years between Ashley, Mom and Dad.
Ashley wanted a bunch of hens so she could get eggs.
Mom liked the idea but insisted they build a chicken coop first.
Dad just bought things.
She shrugged at Dad's question but smiled when she saw the glint in his eyes and the little grin he wore. The grin made the scar on his upper lip stand out. Her older sister said that some people thought her dad was intimidating; Ashley didn't think so.
They started to make their way around the store. Dad hefted a bag of horse feed into the cart. Ashley set a new brush for her goats on top. They picked out a couple bags of bolts and Dad looked at the stores selection of gloves.
Then they hit the tanks.
Desperate cheeping and peeping echoed out of the oblong metal tanks. Four little tanks were set in a neat row, topped with a heat lamp. Two men were standing nearby talking. One was wearing the green vest that showed he was an employee of the store.
When the employee saw Ashley and Dad he straightened up.
"Well, hello! Looking to purchase some chickens? These feller's here are only a quarter a piece." He smiled at them and Ashley thought he looked a little sinister. Everybody who made a living selling stuff looked a little suspect to her.
Dad was grinning now. He clapped Ashley on the shoulder. She started to smile a little too but crossed her arms and didn't let the smile get to big.
"We weren't planning on it but that's quite a deal."
Both of the men were nodding now. Ashley felt butterflies come up in her stomach. Goats, a dog, and now it looked like she might get chickens after all. She didn't let it show though. Better to remain impassive; when you get too excited about things, she reasoned, you always got disappointed.
"Are they laying hens?" There it was. The question that the purchase hinged on. Ashley felt nervous.
The employee shook his head.
"Nah, they're roasting roosters." The men laughed at the joke.
Well, there goes that plan Ashley thought. Dad looked over at her again and stuck his hands in his pocket.
"What do you think Mom would say if we brought her some chickens for Mother's day?"
Ashley had forgotten that Mother's day was tomorrow. It was an extremely convenient excuse. She felt a little bubble of laughter come bubbling up. Ashley just shrugged but her smile got a little bit bigger. It was silly but she liked plotting with her Dad.
"There's twenty of them here. Just a quarter a piece."
Dad looked at Ashley again.

And this is how the story ends: dinner

"We'd have to butcher them in a couple of months."
Ashley peered into the tank. They were older chicks so they weren't as cute as the little fuzzy ones. It was much easier to consider butchering them when they looked so gangly.
"Okay." It was just one word but that was all it took to put Dad into motion.
"We'll take 'em!"
The employee grinned and went to get a box. Ashley found she couldn't stop smiling. Mom was going to get the best Mother's day present ever. And Ashley was going to have fun this summer.
When Mom saw what was in her Mother's day present she vowed to never let Ashley and Dad go to town alone again. They just grinned and set about building a suitable shelter.