Our house sale closed on Friday. We still have a couple of hoops to jump through to get the money – nerve wracking, since my sister leaves on vacation in the morning. I hope the new owners aren’t complaining too bitterly about all the layers of wallpaper and are settling in comfortably.
I pick up my check from the title company later today, but I’ve already been shopping unrestrainedly all weekend. Don’t worry – I’m not going to blow all the money. I’m going to invest most of it wisely. But first, I’m going to invest some in clothes. And electronics. And a cute little rug for my kitchen. And maybe a pair of shoes. New teeth. A bike. Jeez. I’m really shallow.
Last Thursday, I put together a memory book for the new owners – a brief history of my family in that house, along with a dozen pictures. That afternoon, I went there and left it and my keys, and stood in our home for the last time. I’m too sentimental sometimes. I’ll think, “Remember this! Remember everything!” But there’s only so much you can absorb when you’re trying to feel everything. I can never soak up all up – I’m only human. And I have to walk away in the end anyway.
So, I expected to be stressed when I was there (for THE. LAST. TIME.) but it was actually peaceful and relaxing. Lots of visual memories floated through my mind – my rocking horse in the basement, playing dress up in the fruit cellar, swinging on the swing. The last dreg I slurped was this: as I was locking up the garage, I simultaneously saw the handle on the door frame that my dad installed after my mom started having trouble with the steps, and the piece of black electrical tape on the garage wall that he put up to help him park the Bonneville so the garage door would close. Beautiful.
