2021 riverrun Final PDF

At home, Daniel’s life got easier. The kitchen sink never filled with dirty
dishes, and the rack of hangers on his side of the walk-in closet was full of clean
clothes. Maya and Leonidas thrived. Daniel no longer dreaded the morning, and he
had finally mustered the strength to change the sheets and remake the bed.
Daniel’s family had come together and put up enough money to buy him
another month in the apartment, but he knew that eventually he was going to have
to relocate. His parents had made it clear that though they supported Daniel in his
grief, they felt it was time for him to move on. Jeff had not been popular with Daniel’s
relatives, who viewed Jeff’s erratic and often problematic behavior as an unnecessary
and sometimes costly burden. And though they had accepted Daniel’s decision
to remain with Jeff, despite the difficulties, they had never truly welcomed him as a
member of the family. Daniel knew that if they had known half as much as he did,
they probably never would have. He had covered for Jeffrey on more than one occasion
without telling anybody else about it.
They had also been steadfast in that Daniel must accept responsibility for
any choices he made regarding Jeff’s unacceptable behavior, and Daniel was convinced
it was because they feared that he would follow Jeff’s lead. He had explained
to them time and again that he recognized Jeff’s failings as they were, but that he
loved him just the same and had no intention of leaving. Daniel knew his family
would support him and allow him time to grieve, but not indefinitely. So, he collected
boxes from work to begin the process of packing his belongings.
His belongings. The thought still seemed foreign to him, and he dreaded the
prospect of having to decide what to do with Jeff’s possessions. He rolled a joint and
smoked it to his fingertips before grabbing the stack of folded boxes and dragging
them to the bedroom. That room promised to be the most difficult, the most heartrending,
and Daniel wanted to get it done first, to get it over with and to put it behind
him. He felt ready to face whatever he came across. His talks with the old
woman had been therapeutic, in a way he would never have expected; especially
given the fact that she rarely spoke. But his overall mood was improved, and he had
started to feel like his old self. He could smile again.
He started with the nightstand on Jeff’s side of the bed. A lamp in the shape
of an elephant sat atop a light brown doily, and a toad the color of dried moss held a
beige votive candle in its lap. Daniel knew the candle smelled like vanilla because
Jeff knew it was Daniel’s favorite. That was Jeff. They could fight like the most bitter
enemies, but they had loved each other. From the day they met in high school until
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