All they had was lawn furniture in the house, and now even it was back out on the lawn. The house was vacant.
They had mutually kicked one another out.
Life was a blank canvas again, and they were both staying full time with friends.
He had been a truck driver, then started working delivery for Amazon. One day, on one of his deliveries, he met some one, and one thing led to the next. After several deliveries, he stopped delivering boxes and just came to visit her.
She wasn’t ready to be with a delivery guy, so said she would see him if he had more deliveries. So he started ordering things for her. Little things at first, like salt shakers, as he could see she had a collection up on the wall. He ordered salt shakers from all over the world, city by city, she was mounting a good collection now. He had hoped this would pay off, when one day, she looked right at him, and said, “You can’t buy love, you have to earn it.”
He left, and decided not to return.
He would go home and live in the blank canvas. But it was too late. His wife was already there with her mom living as if all was normal.
He didn’t even go to the door. He saw what it was, and decided to rent a nearby hotel.
It was an old Motel 6, where he used to stay when truck driving. He liked how blue and white it was, and how the the sign lit up like a Jesus Saves sign on old churches around town.
One night it happened. She came by the hotel, having seen his truck out front.
She knocked softly on the metal door. He recognized the rhythms of her knocking.
He opened the door.
She looked straight into his eyes and said: “What do you really want it to be Sam?”
After having a sip of his Coors Light, and considering her question, he said.
“Well I would like some real furniture.”