Chapter 10

My plan was, upon getting into the apartment, I'd show the group around and then focus on packing a room at a time. We all sort of had to be in one room together so I could play a traffic cop deciding what went where. You know, if something was mine to take or belonged to the landlord and had to be left in the apartment. Or if ultimately, it was to wind up in the dumpster.

To put it simply, I had a one bedroom apartment. It had a nice large kitchen, with a breakfast nook, where I took most of my meals. Separate from the living room was the dining area. And of course, there was the bathroom.

So with my Snuggle-Wumps surrounding me we perused the place and then we got down to business. I figured the most defined area was the bedroom so why not start there. I thought it would be the place where the most packing was needed too so why not do that first.

We all agreed the bedroom should be the place to start and trundled back down to the van to bring up packing materials. The regular sized boxes were tied in packs of ten and the three hanging cartons were tied together too.

Thinking back to when we picked up the van, I guessed that's why the clerk had given me the bundle of three hanging boxes. It made sense for U-Haul. It was easy for a clerk to say, "They come in bundles of three," adding directly to their profit.

I handed Michelle the shrink wrapped packing tape package. Another standard package that must have increased profits too. Inside there were three rolls of packing tape in with the preloaded dispenser. It looked professional and like the bound boxes, standardized things, making it easy for them to sell and purchasers to carry.

I loaded a bunch of boxes on the hand truck and back upstairs we went. It would take a second trip to get all of the boxes up into the apartment and I set that face of Michelle's adrift with crinkles and crackles as she broadly smiled when I asked if she'd like to make the second trip while I organized the boxes and set up the hanging ones.

Lindie offered to hold the doors for Michelle which I thought was a nice touch. That way if Michelle had any difficulty, a second pair of hands would be close by to help. Of course it was a mother's instinct in action to just keep our daughter safe. I didn't think any thing would happen in my apartment complex. To me it was familiar territory but unknown to my two loves. Better as they say: Be safe, not sorry.

It turned out that I was the one who needed help. I had no idea how the hanging boxes were assembled and I didn't see any directions either. Well, like I have mentioned several times, I'm a guy. We like to fix things. We don't have to ask directions and lastly, we don't need or even follow directions ... most of the time.

So there I was with one of the boxes half unfolded and holding a metal Giz Wiz that looked like it was the thing you hung the hangers on but not a clue how it attached to the box. For some reason I'd never mastered many remotes either. I guess that was the result of being an adult. All adults have problems with them.

Give a three year-old a remote and they will start up the TV and the Home Theater system with two strokes and drop it on the couch and settle back as if it was nothing. There is just something in their brains that just lets them do it. Bumble Bees! Kids just don't know they can't do it, so they do!

So there I was totally frustrated by the box and ready to shred it when Michelle came back in with the load of boxes on the hand truck. I waved that Giz Wiz just about ready to behead the nearest object when she sidled up to me and gently took it from my hands. She turned it over a few times and smiled at me.

I've never seen an eleven year-old's efficiency since I'd been one. I remember that back then I COULD fix most anything. Why now I was totally clueless I can't say.

Lindie was standing at the door to the bedroom smiling and watching our interplay. Michelle handed the thing back to me and picked up the packing tape dispenser with its preloaded tape. Deftly she unfolded the box, sealed the bottom and stood it up. I was so embarrassed when she took the hanger part and just slipped it over the top through the ready-made slits that were now completely obvious.

"It's OK Dad," she said to me as she hugged me. She was genuinely serious about it too. She had instantly recognized my dilemma and SHE solved the problem. I leaned gave and gave her a quick kiss telling her, "Thank you Honey."

The fact we were already hugging saved me from another launch. There was that beaming face again. There was nothing I could do but lean into her face for another brief taste of those small Lindie lips. She kissed just like her mother and my heart did yearn for that larger set of smiling lips I spied as I stood back up and stroked my daughter's head.

"We've used those boxes before," Lindie said. "Michelle mastered putting them together after I had the same problem!"

All I could do was say, "Oh!"

"Let's get packing," Lindie commanded with a slap of her hands.