Unpacking the Past

 

 

 

Toni watched the truck pull out of her drive onto the main road. She noticed another car go by and thought she would have to do something about meeting her neighbors, and soon. However her foyer was filled with packing crates and the visiting would have to wait for another day.

Richie had a crowbar opening the two crates that came from her grandmother’s estate in England. She had no idea what they contained. The three boxes that came earlier were from New Jersey and mostly belonged to Richie. He had gotten as far as finding his baseball and glove.

“Hey Toni do they play baseball here in Australia?”

“I have no idea, love, baseball not being something I keep up with.”

“I’m probably gonna miss going to the games.” He popped his ball in the glove

“You might miss a lot of things Richie but there’s so much to discover here, rugby for instance.”

“I know, it’s gonna be fun.”

Toni straightened up over her box, “Richie you don’t regret this do you?”

Richie dropped his ball and glove back in the box and took her in his arms, “Not even a little bit it’s gonna be different and that’s what we decided we wanted.” He kissed her warmly on the lips.

“Right, now we have to get this mess cleared away what’s in your boxes anyway?”

“My law books, more books, hell it looks like mostly junk. Oh remember this?” He held up a red insulated coffee cup.

“You kept that…I bought that the weekend we went to the beach.”

“Yeah, it was freezing and you poured my paper cup of coffee in it. That was the first weekend we ever spent together. I always kept it on my desk at work.”

“OH! They’ve sent my grandmother’s Mason dishes!”

“They look old are they gonna go with the décor’?”

“What decor,” she laughed, we’ve just got a mish mash…they’re perfect.”

“I really like the house, Toni. The way it’s laid out.  I got my little den and weight room. I can look out and see you in the kitchen.” He grinned.

“Oh is that where you expect to see me? I’m probably gonna be bottoms up in the garden as soon as we get these boxes squared away.”

“It’ll be an even better view from my weight room then. What’s all this stuff?””

“Hmm oh those are some of my father’s old toys, look at the sad bear. Wonder why they sent those to me?”

“Did you grandmother have a will?”

“I’m sure she did.  I guess everybody got a bit of this and that.”

Richie picked up a pile of books, “You point and I’ll carry.”

After several hours the boxes and crates were emptied, the shelves around Richie’s desk were filled with his books and things that meant something to him. Toni’s dishes went in the old Welsh dresser in the kitchen; tea sets, photos, books and toys on the shelves surrounding the fireplace in the living room. They hung an oil painting her grandmother had painted over the fireplace and sat down on the moss green suede sofa.

“Its home Richie what do you think?”

“I think it’s some of you and some of me. I like that. Its ah ‘come together right now over me’ “ he pulled her on top of him snuggling down in the sofa.

“I didn’t know you could sing.”