The Reality of It All

Things have been very busy. Mick booked our trip to Cuenca last week. We’ll arrive in Quito on June 16 and meet with Gabriella on June 17. On Friday, June 18, we’ll hire a van to transport us and the excess luggage to Cuenca. We want to rent an apartment for our stay instead of a hotel. Our focus will be to find an apartment to either rent or purchase for our return in September. It is important to have a final destination for our crate. Shopping for furniture and other essentials is also a priority. It’s all so exciting.

One of the documents that are needed for residency is a marriage certificate that has been certified by the consulate in Washington. It took exactly a week for our certificate to depart Charlotte, get to Tallahassee, have the apostille done and return to Charlotte. It arrived at home just before me. I typed a letter to make a mad dash to the post office to have it overnighted to DC. Of course, it was a Murphy’s incident, with two printers in the house, neither would cooperate. I ended up handwriting a correspondence. My penmanship is barely legible, but hopefully if can be deciphered. It headed for DC the same day and hopefully, the return will be comparable to that of the apostille.

We’ve been working on closets. I’ve been told that I cannot keep anything that does not fit. Shipping with the intention of “I’ll get into it again” is not an option. Bags of clothes have been given away to those who might use them and to Goodwill, many still with tags on them.

There was still the dilemma as to how to finally dispose of the remaining furniture, which is basically the entire house, minus the dining room and two wing-backs. Discounting a yard sale, there were two possibilities. The first possibility was to have an auction, the second, was to transport the furnishings to Lexington to run with the estate auction. The auctioneer came yesterday to peruse our treasures. He felt that the problem with an auction at our house was the space, our neighborhood is not exactly set up for such an event; a yard sale is actually pushing it parking wise. He felt that the best option was to transport most of our worldly goods to Lexington and he is willing to do that for a larger percentage for our portion. So instead of having a couple of months, the house will be left with basics after the second week of July. We’re anticipating many, many people for this event which will be complete with food service and a Port-a-Jon.

Today was another Lexington day. The attic had not been done and I still had a few cabinets remaining. The neighbors usually come over when they see one of our vehicles and visit with Mick, walking down memory lane. This is an old community. Everyone in the area is related. All the land can be traced back to the common ancestor who came from Germany over two hundred years ago. They’re a somewhat clannish bunch; you’re either “one of them” or an outsider. I qualify as one of them, because of marriage. Those are the rules.

Over dinner this evening, Mick was sharing his experience about today’s trip. He was alone in the garage, sweeping it, as he had done hundreds of times and it was as if he could still hear his mother and father. It was overwhelmingly sad that for the first time in over 50 years, the house was empty, really empty. The family had gone on vacations and the house was empty for a week, but it has now been silenced. This is where he moved at the age of 10. This is the house where celebrations were held. This is the house that was a showplace in its time. This is the house filled with guests and laughter during holiday festivities. The 16mm movies in our closet confirm the happiness on the faces of grandparents and others at the Christmas parties. When we drive off, we still see Maxine and Bob at the door waving to us as we drive off. His mother, father, Grandma Wesson, and then Bob, had all lived in the house on Rowe Road and now they are all gone, only a memory for a remaining few. All the things that were accumulated throughout their lives are gone or will be in a few weeks. For many of us that’s all we leave behind a few things that no one really cares about. Life can be bittersweet.

I have told him that these feelings will pass. Although it was only dishes, I experienced a great deal of agony in dealing with parting with my mother’s china. In a day or so, the anxiety will pass. There are too many exciting things happening to dwell on. Mick has never been one to look back, but reflection is a good thing and it’s always important to remember from whence you came. Without the journey, there would never be a destination.

Until next time,
Mick and Kathy