“Putting things away” by Sandy Kenyon

There are still only three things in the box. I face the pile of memories in front of me: t-shirts, jeans, a half bottle of cologne, some keychains and guitar picks.  His shoes. Where did we even buy them? Oh right, Lebanon, Tennessee. I didn’t even know there was a Lebanon, Tennessee, but he’d researched it, found an outlet mall.  

I touch his shoes. He bought them to match my grey Sketchers. A closet romantic. The memory makes me smile, then takes my breath away.

Quickly I turn to the stack of t-shirts. Pick them up, but I can’t stop myself. I hold them to my face, inhale slowly, carefully. Can I still smell his cologne on them? I drop them into the box more abruptly than I meant to. Sit back. Straighten, roll my shoulders and rub the back of my neck. There. Four things. Wait, is a stack one thing or four? Four. I’m counting each t-shirt, each memory. Good. I’ve packed seven things. That’s enough for today.

Sandy Kenyon is a writer. She lives in Kitchener with her four-legged sidekick Chester. She enjoys travel, reading, and spending time with friends. More of her work can be found on her blog here.

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