Page 113 of Born to Make You Smile

“What if I take photos of everything?” he suggested. “The entire collection. So you can still have the memory, but it’ll take upwayless space.”

I tilted my head to the side. Would that be enough? “Maybe.”

“Goldie, trust me.” He put his hands on mine. “You can do this.”

I briefly considered renting a storage unit to keep everything but knew that was yet another bandage on an open wound. I thought about Gavin. The girls. How much these physical things were holding me back from true happiness. True love.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes.

“Okay,” I finally blurted. “Take the photos.”

We continued to pack. He took photos of me and the house. Anything we both felt worthy of keeping, we kept. We got rid of the trash, then decided to donate the rest.

While I was still unsure, overall, I felt positive. A very cheery Joshua by my side definitely helped.

As a thank you, I offered to take him out to eat. Before we left, he took one last photo. I stood on the front porch with a wide smile. Glancing at Gavin’s house, I wondered if he was home. I was tempted to say hello and tell him how much progress I’d made. But I knew I had a lot more work to do in the weeks ahead.

***

My leg bounced furiously as I sat on the oyster-gray couch, my eyes taking in the small office. The various books on the shelf of mostly psychology and self-help. The fern planter and scenic artwork on the walls—beaches and mountains. The box of tissues on the coffee table in front of me, which I knew I’d put to good use.

“So, Grace, tell me more about why you’re here, why you’ve decided to seek therapy,” Dr. Chadha said with a nod, pen in hand, ready to write out everything I was about to unpack.

After a deep breath, out it came. All the details about my mother. My father. My money issues. Gavin. Along with many, many tears.

THIRTY-FOUR

At the beginning ofMay, I stood in my backyard, for what would likely be the last time. I observed Gavin next door. He had a small shovel in hand, tending to his garden.

A new season. A new life.

I decided it was finally time to have a talk.

My stomach flip-flopped with nerves as I walked up to the fence that separated our yards.

“Hey,” I said with a smile.

He looked over at me, his disposition uneasy. He didn’t seem pleased to see me, making me even more tense. “Grace. How are things?”

“All right. Can I talk to you?”

“Of course.” He gestured for me to come over to his side.

With my raccoon Beanie Baby and a jar of turnips in hand, I walked around and entered his yard.

I held up the jar as I made my way to him. “I’m pretty sure these belong to you.”

“Where did you get that?” His lips formed a gentle smirk.

I shrugged with exaggeration. “I have no idea. They somehow ended up in my groceries many months ago.”

“I see. Must have been a little fairy who put them there.”

I hummed with a grin. “Me thinks it was a sneaky dentist.”

He chuckled with closed lips, then pointed at the Beanie. “And who is that little guy?”

“Snoops. My raccoon. I gave away most of my collection. But I kept him and a few others.”

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