Page 4 of The Sound of Harmony

“Even better.” Murray plucked a note off the edge of the computer, looked at it for a moment, then pitched it into the trash. He gathered the birthday cards into a stack. “Do you think we’re hoarders, me and Maude?”

“No.” Emma hated that word. The Zelinskis weren’t hoarders. They just had a typical American life. From birth, everyone was given stuff to take care of. Clothing, furniture, bedding, towels, books, toys. Buying things wasn’t enough. Being given things wasn’t enough either. Even collecting things wasn’t enough. Everyone was expected to make things too—from children’s scribbles displayed on the fridge to adult crafts made with hammers or sewing machines or fancy pens and washi tape.

Nobody was taught to take care of it. Nobody was taught how to discard, so things stuck around. The longer things were around, the more valuable they seemed. Emotions got involved—good ones like determination and nostalgia, but mostly bad ones like fatigue and fear.

That’s why Emma got so much satisfaction from helping people organize. Her clients started with despair but ended with lightness and joy. And who wouldn’t want to bring more of that into the world?

Murray picked up a piece of paper from his desk, looked at it a moment, then added it to a different pile. “You know what I like about you?” he asked. “You don’t tell us what to do.”

A surprised giggle escaped Emma. “Yes, I do.”

“What I mean is, you don’t rush a decision. You give us options and let us talk it through. We can make up our minds at our own pace.”

“That’s the only way it will stick,” Emma said.

Murray cut his eyes to the door. “Luke’s in a hurry. He wants us to clean the house so he can get us out.”

“Why?” The house would sell for a high price, but it clearly wasn’t about the money. And from what Emma could tell, Maude and Murray were used to their house’s quirks. They navigated the stairs and the narrow halls with ease. Moving them might make Luke’s life easier, but it wouldn’t help his parents.

“Luke’s afraid,” Murray said. “It looks like anger, you know? But it’s fear. One of his parents is going to die in this house. That’s a fact. One of us is going to die first, leaving the other behind.”

Emma put a hand over her heart, not sure how to answer that. It was true, but that didn’t make it less awful.

“We’re prepared for it,” Murray said. “It’s inevitable, and we’re ready. Luke is not. He wants to back up a dumpster and start pitching things. Maybe throw away his fear, too. Do you think it will work?”

“Yes,” Emma said. She watched the surprise cross Murray’s face and rushed to explain. “It will work for a few weeks.”

“That long, eh?” Murray chuckled. “I’d give Maude about three days before she starts making a pile on the kitchen counter, just for now, and we both know that there’s another word for just for now.”

“Permanent,” they chorused.

Emma smiled, pleased that Murray had taken one of her sayings as his own.

“You didn’t think I was listening, did you?” he asked.

Emma shook her head.

“You don’t say much, and when you talk, you mostly talk to Maude. I figure those words are precious, so I’d better pay attention.”

Emma detached her pen from the clipboard and started making a list. There was so much the Zelinskis needed to know. Even if Luke was willing to stay and complete the job, he didn’t have the same local contacts Emma did.

She wrote down the number for Goodwill and that they only did pickups on Tuesdays. She added talk toSarah and underlined it twice. That’s who would give them the best appointment time. She noted the hours for Staples. How it was okay to buy folders and plastic bins at the dollar store, but not tape or tools. If they went to Raymond’s Hardware, they should ask Raymond Senior for help. Raymond Junior was only working there for the summer and didn’t know anything.

She handed Murray the list. “This information will get you started. Don’t buy boxes. I’ll get you as many as you need.”

Murray ran a finger down the page. “You’re giving away all your secrets.”

“Not all of them.”

Murray rustled the paper in his hands. “Still, that can’t be good for business.”

It wasn’t. But she didn’t care about that right now. She cared about Maude and Murray.

“I wish you could stay,” he said. “But I suppose it doesn’t ever really get done, does it?”

“Not really.” There was always more to do because there was always more stuff.

Murray lifted his cane and used it to point out the door. “Luke will discard enough of our lives to satisfy himself, and then he’ll go back to California, and in a few weeks or a month, we’ll call you again. That is, assuming you’ll still talk to us.”

“Of course,” Emma said. “I’ll always talk to you.”