She stood watching method enforce itself on madness as she panned her sight around the boxes and bubble-wrap gobbling up her life. Well, her possessions, at any rate——one by one.

 

“That one there is okay to go,” she said, directing the mover to an old writing desk that had been padded at its corners and legs, braced for potholes on the long drive. “Umm.” She hesitated, consulting her inventory list and cross-referencing it with the numbers inked on a couple of boxes across the room. “Yeah, I suppose those are ready to go, too.”

 

“And the vases, ma’am? Can we pack those up for you?”

 

Shaking a packing peanut from her hair, she compressed her lips before glancing at the shelf. “Just place them in an open box.”

 

The man scratched his head. “You sure? They might chip or crack that way. We don’t mind, we got the materials——”

 

“They’ll be fine.”

 

“If you say so. They look valuable.”

 

“They are.” She yawned. “Antiques. Part of my consolation prize,” she added with acid in her tone.

 

She watched him place the vases into a spare box with more delicacy than she would have preferred.

 

“Oh, no, not that one, please,” she said as she saw him load a diminutive brown vase, plain but elegant in its simplicity. It held its own among the rest.

 

“It stays?”

 

“It goes. But I’ll handle that one. I’ll carry it separately with me.”

 

“Valuable?”

 

“No——” She thought twice. “Very.”

 

She crossed over to the shelf and carefully grasped the brown vase as though taking a newborn infant from the nurse’s arms.

 

“And these electronics here?”

 

She spoke without looking away from the vase. “His. They stay.”

 

With a grunt, the man hoisted the open-faced box of antique porcelain and carried its clattering contents out the door.

 

She remained standing among those boxes and bubble-wrap gobbling up her life, just staring at the brown pottery in her hands. She still saw the handpicked flowers that had once filled it, still heard the words of early courtship once whispered in her ear.

Still held in her hands the one prize he’d given her that actually gave consolation.