“Just clear it, goddammit,” she hisses, between clenched teeth.
“What all of it?”
“Bin it, burn it, what the f*** do I care?”
You do care, Mrs G. So much that you want to supplant the pain of loss with some other kind of pain.
I load their memories onto the truck, money is exchanged, our respective doors are slammed.
I rent a special lock-up for these cases. Fifty bucks a month, but worth the buzz.
Because it usually is just the month.
And here she comes right now.
“Nah, everything’s still here, Mrs G, trade’s slack right now.”
After a momentous week things are getting back to normal here… for most of us. Thanks to Rochelle for her leadership of Friday Fictioneers.
castelsarrasin 
I specially liked the reflection in “You do care, Mrs G”
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Thanks for reading, Neil.
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I recall my sister-in-law throw away all the Feng-shui stuff after my brother passed away at 40. He used to moonlight as a feng-shui counselor.
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I suppose her luck took a turn for the worse then?
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I think she is doing well by herself.
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One should always think twice before parting with momentos, rarely do we have the opportunity to recover them.
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Yes, I’m having a few second thoughts myself right now. I think I might have been a little to sweeping in my last clear out.
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Truth is, those things we think we need to toss are often the best connection to the loved one we lost. Best advice is to make no BIG decisions until a full year has passed.
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I’ve developed a ‘holding area’ for things. If I haven’t gone back to get the item inside a year, out it goes. Thanks for reading.
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I do kind of the same thing, mostly restricted to my closet and dresser. When we remodeled our kitchen, I got rid of LOADS of unused equipment. Feels. SO good 🙂
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Aw, what a nice character he is. I admit the first few lines took me a couple of readings to get what was happening, but it was worth the effort.
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Thanks for reading, Jen.
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A similar theme with a different outcome to my story this week. And a very wise counsellor. Nicely done.
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Yes, we were both similarly inspired, I see.
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Hoarding is a deep seeded psychological issue. Many of us forget it’s just stuff.
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It’s a frame of mind. You can snap out of it. Thanks for reading.
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I like him.
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He’s a keeper. 🙂 Thanks for reading.
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I was told not to dispose of things for a year after someone’s death. I wish I’d followed that advice. There are some things that I’d wished I’d kept. Great story.
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Sometimes you just feel you have to be doing things. But on the whole, a period of quiet reflection can sometimes be the better option. Thanks for reading.
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Such times. Nicely done, Sandra. 🙂
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she’s venting, i suppose, as part of the grieving process.
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This is just so damn real, Sandra! We want to banish the pain only to realise after that, that is not what needs to be done. Not right away, anyway. You are such a marvellous writer!
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Dear Sandra,
Perceptive gentleman that. What’s done in the heat of the moment is often regretted later. Well done as always.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I knew a guy whose wife donated a bunch of his stuff. He didn’t even know it, but saw his stuff at the second-hand store and bought it all back.
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He’s a very intuitive soul. So glad Mrs. G was able to recover her things once she had time to re-consider. I saw in your comment to Linda about the ‘holding area’ and really like that idea. Lovely story!
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I love how you’ve encapsulated the feelings in such a brief piece
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