We moved to Emsworth in August 2004.
The Havant house had three bedrooms, a garden that required regular attention and a staircase we had never considered until Alan began talking about the future.
‘We don’t need this much house,’ he said.
Claire was eighteen. Michael was fifteen. They heard ‘smaller house’ and assumed we were removing their bedrooms while they still required them.
We were not in a hurry. Nothing had happened. We had not been forced to move. The third bedroom was used less. The garden still took most Saturdays.
The bungalow had two bedrooms, a smaller garden and no stairs. It was close enough to my new job at Millbrook for me to walk when the weather and the contents of my bag allowed it.
Claire inspected the second bedroom and asked where she would sleep when she came home.
‘In the second bedroom.’
‘But Michael will be in it.’
Michael said he had no intention of being at home for ever. Claire said that was not the same as having a plan.
The estate agent had described the bungalow as easy to maintain. This was true if maintenance did not include moving all our possessions into it.
Alan labelled the boxes by room. I added notes about contents. Michael wrote ‘miscellaneous’ on three boxes and considered the matter settled.
The dining-room computer came with us. So did furniture bought for larger rooms. We spent the first week deciding which pieces had to go and which could be made to fit by moving everything else.
I started at Millbrook on 1 September, so the move took place between leaving Eastbrook and beginning the new job. I had planned this as a sensible use of the school holiday. By the final week, it felt less sensible, but the date remained fixed.
Claire was preparing for her new course after the term she had missed. Michael was thinking about work and college without sharing much of the thinking. Both came and went. Their keys still worked. Their washing still appeared.
Alan liked the smaller garden. He said he would now have time to sit in it.
He continued working in it.
By September, most boxes had been emptied. Two remained in the second bedroom because nobody could agree who owned the contents.
They were still there at Christmas.