Page 22 - Contrast2009

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see, a' large pile, of leaves and dust' at her feet. While her
thoughts had been ,lost in nostalgic reverie, her body had
mechanically done the tedious work for her. She propped her
chin on t he tip :of the broom harid.Le, There had been more
floors after· th:at; scuffed linoleum of the kitchen in their
first hou'se' as ,a newly-wed couple, gleaming hospital floors
on wh~ch she birthed her children, the slippery surface of
the studio where she taught dance lessons. Greta had lived
through eras of progress, 'glamour, poverty, and war, but she
chose instead to remember her life by her floorboards.
Greta stood for a moment, 'surveying t.hejcLe an 'yellow sun
,po'rchwith satisfaction. She marveled at the emotion
,'scratched into the surf~c~'of each floor, a crude record of
human life. When the own~r was gone, too, she realized, the
footsteps of the ghosts of memory echoed hollowly off the
boards" retreading the lengths crossed, in all inflections of
emotion, throughout life. She rubbed the floor gently with
her 'toe, a '-small smile creeping across her face. Then, with
a resolute sigh, she wrenched open the door and quickly flung
the leaves out with her broom, where they caught on the
breeze and crackled cheerfully in the brisk autumn air.

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