The Things We Kept

The siblings agreed to sort quickly. Nora wanted photographs, Imad wanted the tools, and Sal wanted nothing that would require a second trip. Grief had made each practical in a different direction.

The bottom kitchen drawer held bus tickets, appointment cards and receipts for ordinary groceries. Sal lifted the bin bag. Nora stopped him because her name appeared on one folded piece of paper.

It was a shopping list from the day she had returned from university. Her father had written down every food she liked, including a cake he had never learned to make.

They found more lists beneath it. Imad's first visit with his daughter. Sal's unexpected weekend home. The drawer was not organized by date. It was organized by arrivals.