My sister Evelyn and I flew out the next day.
We knew Mom and Dad were packrats.
But we didn’t realize until we opened the front door…
That our parents were full-blown hoarders.
The smell hit us first…
Mildew, cat litter, and old paper.
Every hallway was a maze of stacked boxes. Even the bathtub was crammed full.
Expired cans, decades-old papers, broken appliances…
Layer upon layer of my parents’ past.
It took us three full days just to find their will.
We were sleeping on air mattresses…
Living on gas station coffee and adrenaline…