A moment for you
Melody struggled with the idea of becoming empty nesters and moving to a smaller home…until her husband surprised her with a beautiful gift
Melody sat on the floor, sorting boxes and wondering when Hank would be getting home. She and her husband had recently had the “big talk,” with their youngest graduated and out of the house, and ever since, the “D” word hung in the air like a giant circling albatross. It was not something Melody wanted, but as soon as they’d become emptynesters, Hank had brought it up. Finally, Melody had agreed: They were going to downsize.
Their big rambling house had served them well over two decades, mementos of their family of five peeking out from boxes and crammed closets. She’d started to pare down for their move into a smaller house this summer, but without Hank’s help, Melody was in a sour mood.
Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and she heard Hank’s boots on the tile. “I’m ho-ome!” he sang out the way he did most nights. “Sorry I’m late, honey.”
“It’s okay.” Melody knew he was in the midst of a big project at work, but she still felt out of sorts. Sitting on the floor crosslegged, she turned the pages of the worn family album in her lap gloomily.
“I thought you were going to get these old albums made into brand-new books?”
Melody ran her fingers over the faded photos. “I will. But I’ll still keep this one.” She looked up at him. “Sometimes the old one is just so much… better.”
Hank peeked at the photos, pointing to one of the five of them at the town park. “We look like babies ourselves there.”
He ran a hand through his short saltand-pepper hair. “How did I get so gray?” Melody knew what her husband wanted to hear. “Hey, I like your gray! Besides, it’s handsome on men—like George Clooney.” “I have been compared to Clooney before.” He chuckled, his amber eyes crinkling at the corners as Melody rolled her eyes. “You’re a goof,” she laughed as he crossed his eyes, then leaned down to snuggle into her neck as she squirmed playfully. “You smell like work!” “Like work, huh?” He sniffed at his shirt. “Funny, I didn’t know the construction site had a smell.”
“She breathed in his scent of sawdust, earth and citrus”
“No, you just smell like you— after work,” she said. She breathed in his scent of sawdust, earth and the citrus soap he used. It was familiar, comforting.
He knelt down, reaching inside one of the boxes. “What do we have…” Hank squinted at a small plastic box, “Celia’s baby teeth?” He shook the box like a maraca. “Now that’s kind of creepy, Mel.”
Melody snatched it away. “It is not!” She blushed, her eyes smarting. “Okay, maybe it’s a little weird…but don’t you have a sentimental bone left in your body?”
“Why? Are you planning to box it up?” He teased, but she didn’t laugh. Noticing her expression, Hank got down on the floor and pulled her into a bear hug. “Come on, honey. It’s all just…stuff.” “I know,” Melody sighed. “But it’s our stuff.” She stood, turning away to check on dinner before he could see her cry.
Friday morning, Melody saw Hank’s reminder note on the fridge: House appraisal, Saturday at 3 PM! Her heart ached a little just thinking about it.
That night, Hank brought home their favorite pizza. “Remember when we first moved in?” He winked. “We didn’t have a lick of furniture, so we had a picnic there, in front of the fireplace?”
“I remember it well,” she said, gazing into his eyes, a lifetime of memories swirling between them.
“Let’s do it again tonight, Mel!” he smiled. “But first, I have a surprise for you.”
He went to the garage and minutes later, carried in a big box wrapped with a bow. “It was meant to be an anniversary gift,” he huffed, placing the box on the kitchen table. “But I think you need it now.”
Hank’s eyes had that mischievous glimmer as Melody lifted the lid of the box. Inside, a perfect small-scaled replica of their house sat, complete with their blue shutters, the porch swing, the number “604” on the mailbox.
“It’s our house!” Melody gasped, flinging herself into Hank’s embrace.
“Well, the downsized version,” Hank said. “Easier to take care of, which means extra cuddling time for us.” He looked down into her eyes as he stroked her hair.
“I love you, Mel,” he spoke softly, looking into her eyes. “If you don’t want to move, we can stay. This is our home.”
“It’s okay.” Melody breathed, gazing into the eyes of the man she’d loved since she was 25. “You are my home, Hank. We’ll make new memories…you and me. Together.”