One Last Time, Part 1

Trey Smith

Yesterday I drove to Ocean Shores and brought back Della and Lily to South Bend. Today and tomorrow we will hold our personal liquidation sale. These 2 or 3 days will be the last time our little family occupies this house.

Della won't be sleeping here, though. Her bed is in Ocean Shores. So, owing to the gracious invitation of our next door neighbor, Della will be snoozing close by.

A woman has contacted us about adopting Dylan the cat. She told us that she will be by today which means that our little family may be minus one by nightfall...or Dylan could go run and hide. It will be interesting to see where Dylan is as of tomorrow morning.

If all goes well, our house will be greatly emptied out by late Saturday afternoon. While that will certainly help the last phase of this process -- intense cleaning -- it will be very hard on me emotionally. I get very attached to things -- a lot more so than people -- and most or all of those things should be headed out the door in other people's possession. My hope is that I can hold it together and not get all weepy like I did years ago at my maternal grandparent's estate sale.

Most likely, I will take Della, Jaz and Lily back to Ocean Shores on Sunday morning. I will return to South Bend that afternoon. My last few days in this house will be very strange indeed. No wife. No pets. Few belongings. I am not looking forward to it at all, but...it is what it is.