Back Around: The Move Home

Moving back to Birmingham on Monday was harder than I thought it would be. Everything brought up little memories. The piles of small Vera Bradley bags that I had to pack in, because B and I had packed so quickly that Sunday night after the funeral that appropriately sized bags didn't even cross my mind. The sympathy cards, each saved in my bedside table along with a laminated copy of the obituary. The drive, of course.

I am happy to be in Birmingham "for good," at least for a few weeks. Monday nights have been hard on me since Dad died. I'm sure part of it is my anal fear of oversleeping my early wake up call for the drive to Birmingham, but I think another side of it is the gnawing reminder that I'll wake up the next day and relive at least a fraction of the emotions from my terrible Tuesday as I drive. Last call with Dad. First call with the sheriff. Like Groundhogs Day, only worse, which I never thought would be possible. (Sorry Bill.)

B's parents made our last Monday night in Atlanta great, taking us to a new Vietnamese place (LOVE!) and letting me run into Trader Joe's to stock up on my favorite brand of gingersnaps (three boxes, thank you). Then we sat down with them to go over some of our financial info. As we're gathering information and combining accounts, it helps to have a knowledgeable third-party perspective. Long story short: I owe B's parents a lot of cookies!

When we first sat down and were going over financials, B and his Dad started out looking over my stuff, the two of them with heads bent together hunched over the kitchen table. I kid you not, I had tears in my eyes, in part because I felt so loved and cared for that they'd spent their night helping me but also because I feel like that was one of the ways Dad showed his love for us kids: taxes, investments, and the usual mess of numbers. The scene took me right back to our dining room table, where I spent many a tax season with Dad, "helping."

After a long night, B and I got ready for bed and I looked at my cell phone and noticed a weird piece sticking up from it. I picked it up, flipped it open, and it broke so that it now flips a different way. The Lamborghini of cell phones, if you will. One more thing. If I'd been by myself, I might've cried. Instead, B got me laughing and we both got to sleep, but not before a few tears slipped out.

I left early Tuesday morning and B followed at the end of my work day that afternoon. Last night, we got the apartment cleaned up and all the items at least inside, if not unpacked. B was happy to see that much of the apartment has already been given away, leaving us with a somewhat lonely-feeling apartment, but at least one that will be easy to pack!

So our 5.5 weeks in Birmingham are off to a start. I can't believe how fast the summer is going!