Old life

The year my grandfather passed away I was 7.

Ten years later, at 7am, I was helping my mother clean out the attic of my grandparents house; a month ago my grandmother left us as well.

“What do you want to keep and what are we getting rid of?” I asked my mother as she was closing up a box.

“Everything is going but anything you find that you want to keep you absolutely can honey. Okay?” she seemed sad but more like she just didn't care. I didn't understand the relationship between her and my grandparents. She never talked about them. I felt lost some days but they loved me I know.

“Okay.”

Mom picked up the box and headed downstairs with it. Anna would then go through the box and set aside what we would sell and what was just trash...at least to her.

I went over to the little window with a few boxes left in front of it, I started to open it and I got a chill up my spine. Inside I found a few old books, a cloak of some sort and another little box. A few jars with I'm not sure what and a few more with some plants. Huh. For some reason I feel the need to keep this box. So I set it over by the pictures of my grandparents and grandfather's old hat he used to wear all the time when I was little; it made him look like an old timey detective. I set those things on top of this box that way mom will at least ask me if I'm keeping it.

I bring the last boxes down, setting them next to Anna.

I head back up the stairs. “Hey honey, are there any more or were those the last of them?” mom asked as I was already halfway up the giant staircase.

“That's the last of the stuff but I found some things I wanted to keep so I put them in a box already up there. I'm going to grab it and put it in my room. Okay?”

“Yeah that's fine. At Least we won't have to worry anymore about that old apartment we were in. I'm glad grandma left me the house. Can you sweep up there?” She walks up to hand me the broom and dustpan.

“Yeah that's not a problem. When are we doing the yard sale?”

“This weekend when your father gets up here. He’ll be starting at the new restaurant on Monday. So,” mom looking back and forth at both of us kids. “I want help unpacking and cleaning to make this place home in three days when dad walks through the door. Okay?” stern look at me and Anna was the first to answer.

“Yeah mom we got this. The truck is supposed to be here this afternoon right?”

“Yes it is.”

“Okay I'm going go sweep the attic and work on sweeping the other rooms.'' I smile at mom and Anna, and head up the stairs once more.

I got up to the attic and swept. There was a lot more dirt than I thought just looking at it. When I was done I brought the box to my new room in the back of the house. It was the only bedroom on this side of the house. On the left was a storage closet and on the right were the stairs to the attic. I set the box in the closet in my room. This house was something out of a horror film. Large, almost sound proof and spaced out as if no one liked each other in the house. There was almost no carpet here, a few area rugs and a large one in the living room but that was it. I swept my room and went onto the other one upstairs.

It took me nearly two hours to sweep all of the upstairs. “Mom?”

“She went into town to pick up some stuff for lunch and dinner.” Anna told me.

“Okay well what have you done? Considering the boxes are all ready in the garage for this weekend. And I just cleaned the upstairs. So, what have you done?” I ask Anna as she's sitting on the floor on her phone.

“Lilly, don't give me that crap. I'm taking a break. I wiped down the walls and the lights.”

“Okay then I'm going to too. By the way...Tag it, you're it!”

“Hey!” Anna giggles and comes after me. I ran out the back door. The lawn is huge and not a neighbor in sight. Anna and I get outside and run around for a while. She's only 13 and my best friend. “Come on anna you can do better than that.” I yell laughing and out of breath.

“Mom’s yelling to us.” she laughs as she says this, panting as well. She falls on the ground . I walk over and do the same.

“You know why they moved us here right?” Anna asks me. I know she knows this stuff but I hate that she does.

“Yeah. Dad’s screwing the neighbor. Mom’s depressed and won't talk to him. Instead she'd rather move here. Where the house is paid off. And can she hope that he keeps it in his pants.” I sigh.

“Yeah I know. They think we dont and put on that stupid fake family crap. Why?”

“They want to make it easier on us so we don't have to worry about it.” I told her.

“Well let's go have lunch.” Anna gets up kind of hovering over me.

“I’ll be in, in a second.” Anna walks away and I just close my eyes. Laying on that cool grass. Thinking about it all. My head hurts.

I walk through the backdoor into the kitchen. Mom was putting grinders on plates for us. After lunch we waited for the truck to come so we could start making our rooms ours. While we waited mom thought it would be a great idea to wipe down everything with this disinfectant that smells like rotting fish. Labeled as sweet lake. Gross. If you want to know more about what happens with