I have loved

Griffin stared out at the empty apartment. Outdoor light shone across the white porcelain tiles in a way he’d never noticed. The columns separating the kitchen from the dining room cast their shadows down the living room and toward the front terrace. And for the first time, Griffin could hear the low hum of the refrigerator. He’d never known it was there. He supposed it’d been drowned out by the constant pattering of the dogs and cats around the apartment.

He sighed. “One last walk-through before leaving. One last walk-through.”

He walked into the kitchen and opened each drawer and cabinet. Ah, yes – this is the cabinet he’d opened to get the coffee. Coffee for William each morning. “Honey, the coffee’s ready, just as you like it.”

He winced when he opened the utility drawer – empty, when in past years it’d been cluttered with William’s endless keys, his watch, little pieces of paper with reminders and phone numbers. For years, Griffin had found those tiny bits of paper with information on them, scattered everywhere.

He walked upstairs to the den. Empty, except for all the paperwork in the built-in cabinet Griffin was leaving for his new tenant. He looked inside, made sure it was all there. Yes, and the cable remotes, the thermostat batteries, and the fireplace starter. Ah, the fireplace – William’s pride and enjoy. Griffin had never known how to start it.

He went into the bathrooms. Check, they were clean. That impossible limestone tile that William had ordered, so difficult to maintain, so tedious to squeegee down after every single, solitary shower. But showering felt like being in a spa ...

He dared not look in the master bedroom, where they’d spent most of their time. Thank goodness, the movers had managed to detach the bed from the wall unit. At least he could take his own mattress with him.

Griffin looked around one last time and then turned out the lights. He’d best be going. He had just enough time before his flight to Pittsburgh to visit the cemetery.