Treasure Hunt

As of tonight, after I clean the last stray dust bunnies out of the old place, we'll be officially moved.

It was a big mess, surprise surprise.
None of the trucks we arranged for panned out and the wife had to round up a mammoth U-Haul at the last minute. Helpers descended from on high on wings of fire and we stuffed it like a Foie Gras goose.

Note to prospective movers:
Familiarize yourself with any new vehicle before dark, to avoid inadvertent slapstick comedy during the exodus. We couldn't figure out the dome light and my first stab at disengaging the parking brake caused the hood to fly open.

Unloading went much faster than loading.

Absent strict military discipline these things develop their own momentum, and in the cascade of furniture and goods certain essentials went AWOL, blending in anonymously with the massed cardboard cubes of life stacked to the rafters in the garage.

This morning I rooted through lawn and leaf bags piled like civil war cannonballs on the bedroom floor for the day's wardrobe.
The discovery of a pair of boxer shorts exited me all out of proportion, like grasping a small, longed for treasure in your stocking on Christmas day.
The box with bathroom essentials was wilier quarry and we ended up sharing a towel and postponed brushing our furry teeth.

I dropped off the truck at U Haul before work.
Some alchemical combination the unaccustomed vehicle size, its litany of strange road noises and the unusual view afforded of familiar landscapes cast me into a reverie.

I felt like I had always been driving the truck and was going to keep driving the truck forever. As long as I kept the little Fuel Efficiency dial in the green I would never have to stop, I could drive the empty box across the country, slowing as I passed warehouses bursting with potential, teasing them before accelerating back onto the highway with a coquettish laugh.

Fortunately I was following the wife or I'd have ended up stranded in wilds of Arizona, gas tank empty and dreams scattered across the muted sands.

I parked the truck and picked up toothbrushes on the way to the store, then we shared a pleasant breakfast at the counter.