Sunday Night With John: Two Men and An Empty House

Two Men and An Empty House

John Paul Derryberry

The room was wall to wall windows overlooking looking a wide and continuously running creek. I stood next to a retired Navy veteran who explained all the inner workings of the house. He laid out every warranty for every improvement he made to the house during his ownership. I chuckled about how quickly I'll misplace all the manuals, and his consistent hard work will disappear into my aloofness.

An echo filled the empty house. The old grizzled vet packed the place up last week and moved out. Our young family had not yet placed a box inside the walls. For a moment, the house sat between two existences. It was all memories for him and all future and potential memories for me. He took a deep breath as the realization this would be his last time in this house pulsed through him. I took a deep breath knowing this would be the home my kids would tell everyone for the rest of their lives, "I grew up in Mason City in a house on the creek."

We made eye contact. I smiled and said, "I never thought I would live in a house like this." He laughed and said, "me too, grew up poor and hared a bunch of rooms with so many during my service. To think I would call a place like this home didn't cross my mind until I had the keys in my hand. I hope you take care of it." I nod yes, and he stated he was happy the house would have pitter-patter of babies feet again.

There is at least a 25 year age gap between us. His big life moments are Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and the moon landing. Mine are September 11th, the ever ending war in Afghanistan, and the introduction of punk music. But this moment we share together, we are more than a retired veteran and a young social worker. We are two men who realized for different reasons we either lived a life we didn't think could happen, or find ourselves in the middle of a life that we didn't know we could have

We don't know each other's politic or religious views. Maybe we are miles apart of how our country should be run, or perhaps we are two peas in a pod from different eras. None of that mattered at that moment. Two men stood in an empty house and realized life was grand. One starting their last adventure with a life full of memories knowing they reached higher than they ever thought, another still building his life, but knowing they created something to be proud of.

We lingered in the peaceful view of the wall to wall windows. The vet attempting to cement the memories he made in his home. To picture this landscape when he closes his eyes years from now and think about his whole life. I lingered to take a moment before our journey in this home begins. I envision what will be and to remember all that came before it. We walked out together, shook hands, and took the next steps into our differing futures. For a moment, two men stood in an empty house and shared space for different reasons but also for the same ones as well.