The Stacks

Chapter 21: Fire and Rain, Tears and Snow

Song: "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor

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The following day found us back at Harry's house to finish the work we had begun the day before. The snow had tapered off overnight, but we had gotten an early start because a substantial snow storm would be moving into the area in the afternoon. We had never really discussed it, but it seemed we had an unspoken understanding that my place was kind of our "home base" for the time being.

I felt more confident in our relationship to broach the subject of Cathryn's unopened purchases once again. "How about if I look through the bags for the receipts? If everything is there, I can load it all into your car and run some errands while you decide what to do with the more personal things, like her high school memories. I assume you have those boxes down here for a reason," I said, nodding towards the pile of boxes by the front door.

Harry looked me, hesitation in his eyes, mixed with a hint of sadness. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

I placed both of my hands on his cheeks and gently pulled his face close to mine so I could kiss him. "I love you," I assured him. "Let me know if I'm pushing you and I'll back off, okay?"

He nodded eagerly. "No, I think I'm ready. It will never be easy, but I've got to start somewhere, right? I actually thought about bringing those boxes to Cathryn's parents. I'll look through them first, but they're her memories, not necessarily my memories of her. Her family might find they have more sentimental value."

"See? Now that you're thinking about it, you can understand that letting go of some of these things won't be as hard as you think."

"Not with you here," he said, placing his hands on my hips and tugging me in close for another kiss. "With that, I give you my full permission to send this stuff back from whence it came!" He motioned with his hand like a magician, waving a wand over it to make it disappear.

I laughed at his theatrics. I began opening bags and searching for receipts and blessed be God, Cathryn was one of those "receipt in the bag" type girls. Otherwise, I hadn't a clue as to how I could begin the task. However, as I got further into the process, I realized that many stores had 90-day return policies, and we were obviously well beyond 90 days. I figured some would still accept returns for the most recent sale price and some might offer a store credit. I asked Harry what he wanted to do.

"You know what?" He said brightly. "Let's just donate all of it. We'll pack up the car and bring it all to Goodwill."

"Are you sure?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "There has to be a few thousand dollars worth of stuff here."

"Positive. Cathryn loved to shop, but she also loved a bargain. People will probably love to find brand new items at Goodwill prices, right?"

"Absolutely," I smiled, cheering for him in my heart. "That's a great way to honor your wife."

A proud look crossed his face as he smiled at me.

I started working on a new pile of bags and boxes that were stacked next to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. As the pile dwindled, I caught sight of several shelves full of beautiful, high-quality children's books. They were all brand new, as far as I could tell, but on display, beautifully preserved without much dust since they'd been hiding behind boxes and bags for so long.

I pulled out a hardcover copy of Goodnight, Moon. It was one of my favorite books and it was in perfect condition. The thought of Harry reading this very book with a child on his lap made my heart flutter.

As I sat there, I suddenly felt Harry's presence in the room behind me. I turned around and saw him standing there, staring at me. "What are you doing?" I asked, feeling a little giggle rise up in my throat.