28
Yesterday was her birthday, and we spent it putting what remains into carefully labeled, taped-up boxes.
The MONKEY let himself in before the others got there, and stared at the hole in the ceiling. He paced for awhile - start with the glassware? start with the books? start with the shoes? - before he decided to open some windows. Then he stared at the hole in the ceiling some more. Work here in the den, under the spectre of The Event? Work in the bedroom, where their lives swirled together in sleep and sex and clothes and dreams?
The bathroom, that's the ticket. The MONKEY grabbed a garbage bag and began throwing out half-used deoderant, mostly empty tubes of scrubs, partly filled bottle of lotion. Can't donate those. Can't give those away. Squeezed up toothpaste? Toss it. Open shampoo? Toss it.
When the others got there, one of the girls said simply and sagely: "He might want to remember how she smelled."
The MONKEY moved onto the kitchen; wrapping glassware suddenly seemed a lot easier to figure out.
The MONKEY let himself in before the others got there, and stared at the hole in the ceiling. He paced for awhile - start with the glassware? start with the books? start with the shoes? - before he decided to open some windows. Then he stared at the hole in the ceiling some more. Work here in the den, under the spectre of The Event? Work in the bedroom, where their lives swirled together in sleep and sex and clothes and dreams?
The bathroom, that's the ticket. The MONKEY grabbed a garbage bag and began throwing out half-used deoderant, mostly empty tubes of scrubs, partly filled bottle of lotion. Can't donate those. Can't give those away. Squeezed up toothpaste? Toss it. Open shampoo? Toss it.
When the others got there, one of the girls said simply and sagely: "He might want to remember how she smelled."
The MONKEY moved onto the kitchen; wrapping glassware suddenly seemed a lot easier to figure out.