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CHAPTER TWO
The house was theirs! As they signed on the dotted line, Nora realized they would once again be residents at 912 Greenfield Drive. Life had come full circle for them.
So began the dreaded process of sorting, purging, and packing life into boxes. Nora couldn’t believe how much she and Bo had stored in that tiny garret. She was spending her evening sorting through boxes while Bo was off at his weekly poker game. She knew they were both sentimental keepers of things. With Bo out of the house, she thought she would have a better chance of getting rid of some things and having less to move.
Nora pulled the last of the boxes from the back of the closet and wiped the dust from it’s surface. The box was unmarked, but Nora knew it’s contents although she hadn’t looked at it for many years. She sat cross-legged on the floor and opened it. Memories spilled from it’s depths...memories from their past life. Nora sighed. She had faced the decision many times to rid herself of it’s contents because looking back was too painful. But now she was glad she had kept it because the painful memories were once again sweet now that she was reunited with Bo.
From inside she pulled some trivial trinkets and timeless treasures...a feather from her saloon girl outfit that she wore to the Mardi Gras party...the night of her first kiss, albeit unplanned, from Bo. She tucked the feather playfully in her hair and dipped her hand into the box again. The blue ribbon they had won at the Jitterbug contest...Bo had bestowed it upon her years later as a keepsake of their time together. A wedding photo...the only one that had escaped the fire simply because she had hidden this box away in a closet at the office. Her engagement ring and wedding band safely tucked inside their black velvet box...she opened it and looked at the inscription Forever Yours...Bo engraved inside the band. She placed the ring on her hand along with her new rings. And now it’s true, she thought, he’s forever mine. The thought brought tears to her eyes while a smiled played softly on her lips.
At that moment she heard Bo’s key in the lock. He opened the door to find Nora cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by boxes, dust on her face and hands, a black feather tucked in her hair, and a tear in her eye. The tears spilled over and were quickly brushed away leaving dirty streaks on her cheeks.
“Hey Sweetheart, you’re home early.” she said, eyes glistening.
“What’s the matter?” he asked seeing the tears and becoming concerned.
“Nothing...absolutely nothing. I’m just happy. Come here,” she said moving boxes away and making a place for him.
“Hormones on a rampage again, honey?” he asked as he tiptoed his way around the boxes to sit beside her.
Ignoring his remark she replied, “No...just look what I found. I was sorting through and found this box of things I had saved from our first time around. Look...here’s our ribbon that we won...”
“Bo smiled. “The jitterbug contest. We were good together.”
“Still are,” she responded with a quick kiss. And here’s a wedding photo...it’s the only one I have, Bo. All the others were destroyed in the fire.” She handed it to him. “And my rings! They still fit!” she said smiling and holding out her hand for him to see.
“And the feather?” he asked. “What is that from?”
“You like it?” she asked flirtatiously touching it with her fingers. “My saloon girl outfit from Mardi Gras. How could you forget? It’s the first night you kissed me.”
Bo laughed. “Oh yeah, that kiss. We were jostled together and our lips met. Totally unintentional.”
“Unintentional or not,” she said raising her brows, “I replayed that kiss in my mind for days.”
He looked at her intently. Her enthusiasm brought such joy to his heart. “Well, right now you look less like a saloon girl and more like an indian with those streaks on your face and that feather in your hair.”
“I have streaks on my face?” she asked puzzled.
Bo laughed again. “Nevermind. You still look beautiful.” He gave her a light-hearted kiss. “ What else is in that box?”
“I think I’m at the end of it,” she said shuffling her hand to the back. “No, wait...here’s something else.” She grasped something cold and heavy and pulled it from the depths. It was a stone...a block of sandstone. A soft “Oh…” escaped her lips. She had forgotten about this keepsake.
Their eyes met. This was not just any stone, but the cornerstone from 912 Greenfield Drive.
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