Empty

With all their daughters now in college, moved out, or married, my parents simultaneously discovered an empty nest and empty cabinets. For without our constant prodding, my parents simply can’t manage to drive fifteen minutes away to Shop Rite. Instead, they take each day individually, buying just enough to get them through till nighttime. So, when Sarah returned home for summer vacation, she found the cupboards drained of all substance, that is, apart from the meat of the dead mouse who likely died of starvation atop these barren cabinets. And so he remains, just a clump of matted fur now.