The music plays while the baby crawls around and I vacuum. He smiles at me and I smile back, playing while I work. I shut the vacuum cleaner off and look around. Taking a deep breath, I walk outside and find the hallway runner that we brought home the other day.
Crying, I unroll it through the hallway.
Step by step, more of it is exposed as my tears fall to the floor.
The baby thinks it’s a great game, but I scoop him up and tuck him into his bouncer. He grumbles loudly while I turn the vacuum on again.
Inch by inch, I vacuum the new carpet.
Vigorously.
Sobbing.
Slowly the strands of hair stuck to the carpet come away. Silver, brown and gold, they collect in the bottom of the vacuum cleaner, to be discarded as rubbish.
I cry harder.
No one should have to vaccum their dead grandmother’s hair off a hall runner.
***
I wrote this over a month ago now. I am still finding hair stuck to the hall runner.
Sigh.
Oh sweetheart.
Oh darlin, *huge hugs* xxx
Keep the strands and weave them into a bracelet? Then frame it on black velvet to show off the silver and gold that was your Nan.
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