The floors are swept. The rug in the hallway is straightened. The surfaces are dust-free. There are no cobwebs in the corners. Sunlight streams through the windows, where there is no layer of grime.
I look into the living room. The magazines on the coffee table are stacked neatly. The throw pillows are fluffed.
“What the hell?” I whisper.
Clara steps in behind me. “Wow. It’s spotless.”
“Yeah,” I say. “It is.”
I walk through the house. The kitchen is the same. The sink is empty. The counters are wiped down.
It looks like a home that is being lived in. Or at least cared for.
“I thought the house would be a mess,” I say.
“We head up to my bedroom and pull out her suitcase. We pack up the last of her clothes, her toiletries, and the books she brought with her.
It doesn’t take long. We work efficiently.
Tex appears in the doorway. He leans against the frame, watching us.
“Need help?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “Can you take this?”
He walks in and lifts the heavy suitcase like it weighs nothing. He carries it out to the truck, and we follow.
Once it’s loaded into the bed of the truck, I stand by the tailgate, looking back at the house.
I turn to Tex.
“Who cleaned up?” I ask.
He looks at me and adjusts his cap. “What do you mean?”
“The house,” I say. “It’s clean. Dustless.”
Tex nods slowly. He looks at his boots.
“We used to check in on your father,” he says. “Help him out.”
“But what about during the quarantine?”
“Well,” he says, “after the quarantine… I’m not sure. Maybe Billy or Seth got someone to do it last night. I know they were worried about the place falling into disrepair while you were… away.”
I stare at him.
Billy or Seth.
They hired someone to clean my father’s house? They made sure the floors were swept and the pillows were fluffed?
It’s a small gesture. Neighborly.
It doesn’t feel neighborly, though. It feels like care. It feels like they were protecting my father and the memory of him for me, even when they thought I didn’t deserve it.
My chest tightens.
“Did you help?” I ask. “Take care of the place, I mean.”
