Dear Sellers

Dear Sellers,

In most respects, I am a compassionate person. I am no angel, but I try to do the right thing, to practice empathy, to give people the benefit of the doubt. I try to remember that, being recently divorced, you were probably in a state of emotional turmoil. That having four boys must have been a major handful. That perhaps you did not have the money to keep things up as you wanted to. These are the things I tell myself in my kinder, gentler moments.

And yet, as I uncover more and more things in this house, I can't help asking myself, "What is wrong with you?!?" When I ran into you last week and you asked me how things were going, I wondered what I was supposed to say. Should I tell you that things would be going a lot better if the house hadn't been left a disgusting mess? That we might be unpacked by now if we hadn't had to immediately remove the urine-soaked carpet that you left behind? That we haven't been able to stop wondering how you prepared food in that kitchen or took a shower in that disgusting tub?

And then, yesterday, a new discovery that has to make me wonder exactly what you were thinking. After wondering what makes it so buggy in our backyard, we discovered that the drain from the sump pump, which is supposed to direct water away from the house, is actually directing the water right under our deck, resulting in a continuous pool of standing water. Even more baffling is that there apparently was an effort to drain the water out further into the yard, but there was a critical element missing. . . there was the original pipe leading from the house, and another one leading out further into the yard, but they were not connected. At all. In fact, they were several inches from each other, as though the water from one pipe would just jump into the next one rather than dumping out right next to the house. Honestly, I don't understand why you even bothered.

We fixed it with a quick trip to Home Depot and a few minutes. Just like we've fixed so many things here that were neither time-consuming nor expensive. Like putting in a new air filter, which probably had not been done in many years. And taking a scrub brush to the toilet. And remember that kitchen hardware you left behind, all the drawer handles neatly wrapped in their original packaging with screws included? Turns out, all you have to do is open up the plastic and use a screwdriver to put the handles on. In case you weren't sure.

In the end, while standing next to you in the natural foods store, my compassionate, polite side took over. I told you that things were slow going, but that we were getting settled in. I told you about some mail we had received for you and left it for you to pick up the next day. I wished you well and went back to picking up items off the shelves.

But I have to tell you, there are moments in my head where that scene plays out quite differently. Here's hoping that, the next time I see you (which I inevitably will in this small town), my kinder, gentler self continues to keep the other parts of me in check.