Dark Grid by David C. Waldron

silence followed before Chuck finally agreed.  “Ok.  I mean, sure, makes perfect sense.” Chuck tried to cover his pause with humor, “As long as the pillowcases aren’t all lacy and froofy smelling, because I won’t be able to sleep if they are.”
    “Yeah, you know me too well.  Froofy-smelling pillowcases--as if.” Sheri replied, obviously relieved.
    As they said goodnight and headed back to their own homes for some final packing and an early night’s sleep they were all recipients of icy looks from the board members still in Carey’s driveway.
    Tomorrow morning can’t come soon enough for me , Joel thought to himself.
     

Chapter Ten
    Joel was a little surprised to wake up to an empty bed.  Occasionally he or Rachael would grab a blanket and go sleep on the couch if the other one was snoring loudly or tossing and turning--but Rachael hadn’t taken her pillow downstairs which meant she had gotten up for the day.  Joel made his way downstairs and was met by the sound of soft sniffling.
    “Rach?” Joel said as knelt by the couch in front of his wife.  “Hon?  How long have you been up?”
    “Not long, only about ten minutes.  I had to say good-bye though.”
    “We’re not coming back Joel.  We’ve lived here since before Maya was born.  There are three guinea pigs and a cockatiel buried in the back yard.”  Rachael grabbed another tissue.  “This has been our home for over half of our marriage, Joel, and we’re just going to walk away from it in a few hours…and not look back?  I don’t know if I can do it.”
    Joel didn’t have a response at first, except to lean forward and hold her.  When he did speak, his voice was more raw with emotion than he’d expected.  “I really haven’t wanted to think about this.  You’re right, you know.  We’re not coming back, because I don’t think we’re going to be able to come back.  Once we leave,” Joel pulled back and looked Rachael in the eyes, “it won’t be ours anymore.  Once we’re gone, someone else will most likely take it.”
    Rachael closed her eyes and looked away from him.
    “Rach, look at me.”  It took a few seconds, but eventually she did.  “How do you think it makes me feel to say that?  I’ve worked for over a decade to make this house our home .  I built the gazebo.  I built the fire pit.  We’ve put how many hours into keeping that horrible lawn alive?”  She barked a small laugh.  They were constantly complaining about how they had a thriving lawn full of lush crabgrass and chickweed--but couldn’t keep fescue alive for love or money.
    “And now, for no good reason, we’re leaving it all behind.”  Joel said.  “I don’t mean we don’t have a good reason to leave--because we do.  I mean that some oversight committee, or panel, or appropriations board, or overfunded and under-brained bureaucracy out there knew this was coming but screwed up so thoroughly that nothing was done.”
    “Now I’ve started worrying,” Joel continued, “about what we’re taking.  How long are we really going to be gone?  Do we have the right clothes and enough of them?  Do we need to pack more blankets or towels or knives or ammunition?  Should we have tried to get a trailer or a car-top carrier and loaded it too?”  Joel’s voice rose, “I don’t know what I’m doing here, with any of this,…my wagon train always died when I played Oregon Trail as a kid!”
    “And you weren’t supposed to be awake yet hon.  I was supposed to be down here alone being neurotic for a half an hour and get it out of my system.”  Rachael was smiling just a little.
    “I’m glad I was awake though,” Rachael said.  “I think I needed to see you freaking out.”
    Joel snorted.  “Yay me.”  He leaned forward to give her another hug and a kiss.  “Shall we take another walk-through to make sure we haven’t missed anything?”
    “Not right away,” Rachael said, as she pulled back just far enough to be