A house. Life insurance. A little money from checking account.
Normal things that most beneficiaries get.
But then people forget about the other stuff.
The everyday stuff.
And the little stuff.
All the little stuff people accumulate during a lifetime.
Furniture.
Towels.
Clothing.
Books.
When Mr. X was asking me if I had a certain tool in the garage, I said "I do not know but..."
I started listed things I did know I had.
Things I had seen when I have to go out there for a screwdriver or as I am leaving the house.
He said it sounded like I was reading an inventory list.
A weed whacker, an orbital sander, some plywood, various size nails, paint, a leaf blower, safety goggles, some hammers, a car wash bucket, disposable gloves.
Sometimes people will comment on something they see at my house.
A piece of furniture. A throw. A painting. A magnet on the fridge.
They will ask where I got that cool book or ugly painting.
"I inherited it."
And I discover new things all the time.
Office supplies. DVDs. Toiletries.
Some things I love.
Some things are okay.
And some things I hate and I will eventually get rid of.
Eventually.
One of my favorite things is an eraser.
Yes, an eraser in the shape of a CK one cologne bottle.
It is very silly to love this very simple thing.
It used to sit on his desk in the office.
I never remember seeing him use it.
But I do.
It is now it my backpack.
I use it during tests.
When I take notes.
I use it during my science labs.
And every time I feel it in my palm, I think of Roger.
Even when I just see it.
I will keep this.
I will use it as long as I can.
And I will probably cry when I cannot use it any longer.
Roger's silly eraser.
3 comments:
My husband had a hideous sweater he kept at his office to wear when the AC was too high. I disliked it so much that I bought him a new one. He wore the new one at home, but didn’t want to “waste” it by keeping it at the office – so the old sweater stayed. Now that he is gone, do you think I can get rid of that old sweater? nope
I can relate to your story here.
You are a GREAT writer and I love your style. Thank you for sharing.
I hope your ankle is getting better!!
((Star))
I can relate to Ann here. I wore a lot of fairly unlikely (and slightly small) T-shirts, for quite a while. Until they wore out, in fact.
A few equally bizarre items have stuck with me, through the years. I have her coffee mug on my desk, even now. Might as well use it -- even if she would probably have chucked it away long before now...
It's what you have of them that's left behind. They're just objects, but they help to conjure the living person. And that's exactly what makes them so very precious.
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