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MWC Semi-Finalist
The Growing Space Between Us
One day they are home, and the next, they are grown.
Editor’s Note: This Medium Writers Challenge entry was added to Human Parts on November 4, 2021.
The event I had been anticipating all summer arrived — college freshman move-in day. The car was so tightly packed that it took three of us pushing and tugging to get the pillow into the last potential space between the two duffle bags. With the final item secured, our family high-fived as we closed the trunk, proud of fitting all the essential dorm items into one car.
During the three-hour drive north, we kept the conversation light, chatting about anime while listening to an interesting mix of video game music and Pink Floyd. My husband joked that he would be turning our son’s bedroom into a naked gardening room, knowing full well I would insist on leaving the space untouched for a year. “A child needs to come home to their bedroom, not a guest room or craft room,” I said earlier that week when my spouse started planning his room take-over. Our youngest, quietly listening in the backseat, appeared visibly relieved that he would not have to share an adjoining bathroom with a naked gardener.
The crowded campus was busy with people carrying large plastic totes, microwaves, and blue…
