Very nicely done. I enjoyed the pacing and descriptions. You are clearly very disciplined in terms how much info to fill in for the reader in terms of what happened to Ted and his kids. It's got an honest and organic feel that makes you trust the author. I would be willing to bet that you yourself have gone through something that parallels this.

I liked the length of the story too.

One thought, when he says that she just has to let go of her anger, I thought at first that if she did, that her throat might loosen and she'd spit the chicken out. I see that you left that in the air but I'm inclined to believe that he's stuck in purgatory or limbo and that she's gone on to heaven.

Either way, the thought was there. Very impressive.