It’s a sad and rainy October day, filled with complete heartbreak and distressing emotion as we gather the things from my grandmother’s house. Every box I open and everything I pick up reminds me of her—I began to sit down, starting to cry from all the overwhelming emotions running through my head. Then I realize I’m not the only one on this sinking ship, “Mom, are you ok?” I asked. I mean, if I lost my mother at the age of 43 I would be heartbroken too. “No, I’m fine….I just miss her so much,” she replied with a lot of defeat in her voice. I continued to pick up things from my grandmothers past and so did my mother. As I looked at the piles and piles of junk and memories, I heard my mother call my name, “Camellia, come look at this.” I make my way over to where my mother is standing and look for what she wants me to see. She points at an old journal and ask me to get it for her. I hand her the book and she rubs her thumbs on the front of it making a dust angel. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. “No,” I replied. She told me that it was the diary of my great great great grandmother, and that her name was Pearl, who was the daughter of Hester, and that Hester wore the letter A on her breast because she was considered a…whore. We both chuckled, and I almost didn’t believe her—It was hard to tell if she was joking or not. She handed me the book and she told me to put it in my keep sake pile.
My dad and my boyfriend are in the attic taking boxes down and putting them in the living room where my mother and I are. “That’s the last of it,” my father said as he sets down the last memory of my grandmother. We stand there in anguish, and stare at the memories that were forever lost in these dust ridden boxes. “Are you ready to go?” my boyfriend asked, “Yes,” I replied. I tell my mother that me and Brad have some errands to run before we go back home. “Okay honey, I’ll see you tomorrow,” my mother said with crystal tears running down her face....