October 18: Things I Thought Were Gone

The October Diary is a work of fiction originally released serially during October 2015. The complete list of posts can be found here. 

October 18th

I’ve been making slow progress on organizing the house. It’s fascinating though. I keep finding things that I thought I’d gotten rid of years ago.

I knew I had Annie’s yearbooks, sure, but I didn’t realize I had mine. They were on the bottom of a bookshelf in my office, hiding in plain sight.

I flipped through the pages. I’ve lost touch with so many people. Some, though, I know are dead. Drugs, accidents, and disease. I feel like I’m dying young, but I’ve lived longer than many people get to. I should be more grateful for that.

I found Brendan’s wedding ring. I would have sworn he was buried in it, but there it was in an envelope in my jewelry box. I put it on. It fits my thumb.

I want Annie to have the ring. I wrote “Your Dad’s Wedding Ring” on the envelope to make sure she knows what it is, and went into her room to put it in her jewelry box.

I don’t go in Annie’s room much when she’s not here. Despite my parental assertions that this is “my house,” I do like to respect her privacy.

Being in her room made me think of her. It was nice. Comforting. Almost like she was here. I laid on her bed for a moment, then I was asleep.

What happens next? Read the next part of the story here.