Page 85 of Forged Forever

“No apologies, Summer. You had to heal. I received your Christmas card, and you apologized in there. Now, do you need anything?”

“No. I know I’m not selling the house, but I have decided anything past that.”

“Then go on. It should be as you left it, except there isn’t any food or laundry,” she smiles, her eyes not hiding the sadness within.

Nodding in return, I turn and walk back across the driveway as Jake falls into step beside me. I pull my key out of my bag and, with a shaky breath, unlock the front door.

The air is a little stale, but not bad. I can’t smell Mom’s perfume or the familiar scents that used to envelop these walls. I’m sure Belinda opens the windows often. Interlacing my fingers with Jake's, I walk into the living room. It’s like a time capsule. Running my fingers over the back of the couch, I pick up the throw blanket we used to cuddle up in. Sadly, there’re no smells left after all this time. We walk past the dining room and into the kitchen. It’s a weird combination of eerie and comfortable. Heading back to the front of the house, we climb the stairs, while the guys, Sue, and Dad wander around, keeping quiet. I stop in my room first, and everything is exactly where I left it that morning, except for my pajamas on the bed. I step over to my desk, running my fingers over my books and papers. This is surreal.

Jake follows me into Lily bee’s room next. The tears overflow when I see her stuffed animals and toys. Jake and I hug each other as we silently cry. We step back into the hall when the shock has worn off.

Mom’s room is last. We enter, and I step over to her dresser and pick up her perfume bottle. Breathing in the familiar scent has more tears leaking, but I’m overjoyed to smell her again. Her closet is open, and I run my fingers over her many clothes, then pick up some of the picture frames she has out. They’re all of us and a few of grandma.

Opening the back door, we step into the yard. The trees, shrubs, and plants are so much bigger now. You can’t tell there was ever a vegetable garden here, and Belinda did well with the flower gardens. Everything looks healthy. Jake and I walk around the yard hand in hand, absorbing the changes and familiarity. When we turn back towards the house, everyone else is mingling around on the grass, and an idea pops into my head. “What do you think about renting the house to a family in need? If Belinda's willing, she could screen applicants and set the rent based on their income. I’d want a good family who would take care of the house and love it like we did.”

“That’s a brilliant idea, Sum,” Jake smiles at me. “Vanessa and Lily would approve.”

I feel good about the idea. When we get back to the house, I tell them what I want to do, and everyone agrees with me. “What about your belongings, darling?” Dad asks.

“Well, we could box up the things I want to take home and make a donation pile. Even leave the furniture for whoever moves in.”

“I would be happy to assist Belinda in finding a family,” Sue offers.

“Let’s do it. Dad, Sue, and Jake, can you join me in telling Belinda? Guys, can you get boxes and packing supplies?”

We split up after Sue gives the guys directions to the store, and Dad, Sue, and Jake follow me to Belinda’s house. She’s in the backyard weeding, so I knock on her gate and then enter. Telling her my idea, she’s happy to find a family with Sue. I’m planning on keeping the property management company for any issues with the house. Belinda tells me they repaired the dripping faucet in the kitchen and the valve for the hose in the backyard. She requests to be left on as a contact, which makes things easier for me.

I ask her if she wants anything of Mom’s since we’ll be packing all the personal items. Walking back over, she chooses a few pictures from Mom’s photo albums, a bracelet she gave Mom, a casserole dish they passed between them, and a sweatshirt. Belinda knows exactly where the items are, probably having been here so many times. She also requests two ornaments they made each other from the Christmas boxes. I promise I’ll find them and get them to her so she leaves with her treasures. Dad suggests I place the things I want to take back home on the dining table, so Sue and I start in Mom’s room. I tell Jake what I want from the kitchen, then he and Dad empty that room.

Sue and I start in the closet. I pick out more than I thought I would for clothes because Mom and I are similar sizes now. I fold her favorite two pairs of jeans, a few sweaters, band tees, a jacket, and sweats. Next, I add sunglasses, a hat, all her jewelry, her perfume bottle, three pictures, and all the photo albums. I carry those to the dining table as Sue folds the remainder of her clothes on the bed. Checking the nightstands, I find an assortment of things. I grab the few pieces of jewelry I find in there, and the hair ties, but the rest is junk. The bathroom is just makeup and old toiletries, which go into the garbage. Paper products that are unopened stay in place.

I check on Dad and Jake next. Jake found the mug and cookie platter I wanted, and Dad suggests leaving a basic set of pots, silverware, and plates for the new tenants, which I agree to. I find my grandma’s mixing bowl and wooden spoon, adding them to the dining table, and ask Dad to grab the suncatchers from the window for me. Mom, Lily bee, and I made them one summer afternoon on the grass in the backyard when Lily bee was six.

Instructing Jake to add Grandma’s tea set to the table, I go to the shelves in the living room, gathering more pictures and a few ornaments, along with the couch throw. I collect a few of Mom’s favorite albums from the tv stand and the original Big Hero 6 movie.

The guys enter through the front door, arms full of packing supplies. We explain the setup, then half stay downstairs while the rest follow me to the bedrooms. I start in Lily bee’s room, cleaning off her bed so I can put items I wish to keep on there. Her two favorite plushies are placed on the bed first, then I gather several storybooks, all her drawings, pictures of us, hair stuff, and three ornaments.

Tears steadily trickle down my cheeks as I work, but I’m in this sort of numb existence. I expected to wail or scream, or something similar, but everything is muted. It’s like an out of body experience. I’m in my house, but my mind has stalled. Telling Bay and E to pack everything else, I offer for Bay to take anything he thinks Olivia would want.

The bathroom is next, which is pretty straightforward. There’s nothing personal in here that I want, so I leave it for one of the guys to empty into the garbage.

Nick joins me in my room as I repeat the process. I know none of my clothes will fit, so I skip them except for two tees I have of Jake’s. Photos, momentos, ornaments, and books go on the bed. A shoebox of stuff from Jake has me pausing with a small smile gracing my lips. Worn and bended photos of us as little kids are inside along with a bit of rope from the tire swing we broke in Jake’s yard. There are candy wrappers, Pokémon cards, and a bunch of other junk. Placing the lid back on the box, I add it and my own photo album to the bed. I have many notebooks that I pile on the bed, along with my favorite stuffed animal.

While Nick is packing, I go into the hallway and open the closet to grab Lily bee’s favorite blanket and the box of baby keepsakes, and take them into my room.

I wander around the house after that, checking for anything I might've missed. All my childhood memories are within these walls. Running my fingertips along the paint as I walk, I allow my mind to drift through my memories. Lily bee taking her first steps in front of the couch, Grandma cooking soup at the stove, Mom singing and dancing, stopping to twirl us around, and Jake and I playing tag with Lily bee in the backyard. This house was filled with so much life and love. It’s time for it to create new happy memories again.

Breaking from my reflections, I decide to take Mom’s favorite graphic designs from the walls and set them on the table.

The attic is last, and Alex climbs up with me. There’s a lot of Grandma’s things still up here, and I decide to leave them here for now. Finding the Christmas boxes, I slide them to Alex, who carries them down for me. I leave the holiday lights up here, but the rest I need to go through. I find a small Easter box and a miscellaneous holiday box.

Taking a seat on the couch, the miscellaneous box has Halloween, Fourth of July, and birthday items. The Easter box is full of bunnies. I ask Alex to put both boxes on the table. The Christmas boxes are hard because it’s the last holiday we celebrated together. The first is Mom’s pajamas from all our matching pjs over the years. Next are ornaments. I don’t see the two Belinda wants in there though. I decide to just take the other two boxes without looking at them. Carrying them to the table, I see it’s empty. “Where are the table items?”

“In the SUV Sunshine,” Seb tells me. I smile at him and then carry a Christmas box out to our vehicle. I quickly realize the contents of the house plus all of us means we can’t fit in the SUV. Well shit.

I walk back inside to find Dad. “We need another vehicle, Dad.”

“I know, darling. I rented a moving truck for tomorrow, that will be delivered to the hotel by 9am. We can transfer the boxes to the truck and leave it at the airport. Sue will take some of us in her car to the hotel.