My Son Took the Villa and Sent Me to the Beach Cabin but My Wife Had Left Me Something Better

Too smoothly. The door opened without the swollen resistance of a house left empty for years.

And the first thing I smelled was lavender. Not mold. Not rot. Lavender.

I stepped inside and stopped.

The floor was swept. A blue throw was folded over the couch. Fresh flowers stood in a mason jar on the coffee table. In the kitchen, two plates sat in a drying continue reading …