This is a new scene for my WIP inspired by a Flashy Fiction photo prompt of an old pair of shoes.
Miranda slipped quietly out of the nursery, leaving the door cracked just a little so she could hear Eric if he stirred. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself to open the door next to his room. The bedroom closet was so small she had moved Jed’s civvies, and other personal items he couldn’t take with him, here to leave more room for her own things. Now she felt guilty about it. It felt like she had already been putting him out of her life. The hallway storage room had no place for hangers, so most of his stuff was stored in boxes.
Photo by Walter Arce
Deciding what to throw out and what to pass along to Goodwill was the next step in getting on with her life. Everyone said so and she understood the necessity, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. She made a deliberate effort to blank her mind and started to work. Carefully not thinking about the past or future, she concentrated solely on the moment. The first box was all dress clothes. Definitely send to the Goodwill. Second box: childhood memorabilia. Keep for Eric or ask Joe if he wanted it? Third box: Softball gloves, balls, catcher’s mask, team uniform. Keep for Eric? Give to Goodwill? Pass along to other team members?
“Think, dammit. You can’t keep everything. There’s more sports stuff in the garage too. You can’t cart it all around with you for the rest of your life. It’ll be years before Eric is old enough to be interested. He may not even like baseball. Just pick a couple of items to save and move on.”
She started digging through the box and setting things aside. Catcher’s mitt, signed ball from the year his team won the league championship, the cleats she bought him for his last birthday. It was too much. She sat with the shoes in her lap and sobbed helplessly for the husband she lost in a war that no one seemed to understand.