She’d forgotten how light it was. She hauled her load of groceries and essentials into the long galley kitchen by way of the empty dining room to the right of the entry. There was almost nothing in the old house except for a few pieces of furniture Jake had taken out of storage to stage it for potential renters. She had a bed, a couch that dated back to their third year of marriage and a few other mostly useless pieces. But the house was quiet, well-maintained and didn’t cost her anything she wasn’t already paying. It really couldn’t get better than this. Except all around her were memories of a happier life. A life full of love, joy and promise. The kitchen backsplash Jake had insisted he could do on his own. To a one, their renters had commented on the artistic combination of tiles when really Jake had screwed up so much and she couldn’t stand to tell him. The wall she’d put a hole in trying to erect a Christmas tree by herself because she hadn’t wanted to wake Jake. They’d hung a wreath over the hole and stuck an LED candle in it just to be funny until he could fix it.
