Chapter 48

Over the next few days, Mirko and I cleaned out the storage room and sorted through all the knick-knacks that belonged to our Alaskan house. Occasionally, my colleagues and even my brother gave us a hand. Sasha accompanied us by unpacking more things than she put in their places, but having the kids and my friends there and working in daylight made it a little more enjoyable. Simpler. Talking to Mirko about the memories that seeing a photo, a book, a comic, a chipped plate, or a toy awakened in us was much easier, as if I had finally accepted that that stage of our lives was over and we had a future ahead of us. New horizon.

I felt more at ease than I had in a long time.

In four months. I couldn’t believe four months had already passed. It didn’t seem like it.

Within those four walls the faint smell of humidity, mothballs, and the subtle mix of essences of what had been my home coexisted; if I closed my eyes for a moment, I could imagine that I was back in the livi