It’s Not the Same
The virus had subsided quite a bit but not soon enough to spare her parents. Her parents were eighty at the time of the pandemic,and they both fell victim to the scourge.
This was the first time Glenna had been allowed back in the house where she had grown up. Her tears soaked the mask covering her mouth and nose. The house was not the same as she remembered it.
Her mother no longer toddled around waiting on everyone, paying no mind to the protestations that she have a seat and visit for a while. She reasoned that she could visit after everyone was served.
Her father no longer held court from his recliner, regaling the listeners with tales of the latest project in his woodshop. Barring that, if people visited long enough, he told of escapades in the war.
The same chotchkies were purposely placed around the rooms and the lamps nestled on the same doilies, handmade by Glenna’s mother. The same plastic slipcovers protected the prized furniture. The same quilt covered the bed where her father snored and her mother, with her hearing aids on the table beside her, slept unaware.
The same desk occupied the den. The same guns and awards decorated the walls and the taxidermied fox guarded the door. The domain where Glenna’s father reigned supreme.
The kitchen, her mother’s domain, was immaculate.
Though everything was the same, it was not the same at all.
Glenna wiped her tears and wondered where to start dealing with her parents’ belongings. There is a brother and sister, but her parents had left her in charge. She was glad they trusted her, also wished they hadn’t.
She picked up a couple of things that were particularly precious to her and lovingly wiped them down with a disinfecting wipe. Placing them in her bag, she looked around and decided to wait and bring her brother and sister in to see what everyone wanted to keep and donate.
Although her mother kept everything pristine, Glenna knew it would take a lot of cleaning to empty the house. Thankfully, there were disinfectors, gloves, and some masks in the stores. The world looked different now, and it wasn’t just the absence of her parents.