It was May and less than four short weeks remained before I would be Mrs. Paul North. I filled half that time working out my notice in Virginia but my plans to split the two weeks with a weekend trip to Boston failed to materialize. Mrs. Doberchek passed away and Paul felt he and the children were obligated to pay their respects, given the years the woman spent with them.

They would attend services in western New York State. While I missed seeing them, I put the unexpected time to good use. I spent the weekend sorting through what I thought of as sparse belongings until I saw the mountain of sundry junk that remained, even after extensive culling. It would be a chore fitting the pile into my compact car. While I lived in a furnished apartment, I liked to cook. Over the years I'd assembled a large collection of kitchen items that I could now put to good use. In addition to glassware, dishes, bedding and towels, I had my beloved books. There were miscellaneous articles that remained boxed since my marriage. I'd often camped in Alaska, and my tent, sleeping bag and outside gear was still in good condition. Now my outdoor gear would travel to Massachusetts and be put to use. I did some window shopping for new items but reluctantly refrained from purchasing anything as I'd run out of room in my overstuffed car.

I was delayed leaving Virginia by a surprise going away party hastily arranged by my thoughtful coworkers. It was Friday afternoon and a wall of Washington, D.C. traffic slowed my progress north to a crawl. The trip to the Boston area would be more than eight hours. With my after work-day-late start and several hours of bumper to bumper traffic, I barely made it into Connecticut. Staying with Suzie was out of the question as Elmwood was miles out my way. I pulled into a roadside motel, called Paul, letting him know I wouldn't arrive until mid-day Saturday, and flopped into bed.

Stubborn Sarah Blanding, about to become probably still-stubborn Sarah North had no desire to spend her two remaining unattached weeks in a Boston hotel. I now owned, or was about to own a home and I was determined to stay in it in spite of it being unfurnished. I drove directly to Summerside, bypassing Newton, and called Paul on my cell phone. I expected him to be surprised by my detour but by now he was becoming accustomed to the eccentric ways of his soon-to-be wife. Paul and the children would make the one hour drive and join me. I barely had time to unload my car before we were all together once more.




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