Moving Day (Part 1 of 3)

Dad backed the big rented truck to the front door. He angled it in from the driveway across the front lawn since we had a tree in the center of the yard. I knew then that we were really moving out.
My parents had talked about it for weeks. We had even been to the new house and had met the soon-to-be former owners.
The old house was where I had grown up since I was born. But now I was almost five and my parents had two other children, Vera and Karen. My mom was expecting her fourth and the house would be too small, especially since my parents were planing a family of twelve. In the end, they only made it to eight children, but whose counting anyway?
With the truck backed up to the porch and a plank placed so we could load up, volunteers from the church started to move the big furniture into the truck. First the couch, then the piano, the organ, the stereo, the TV, the refrigerator, the washer, and the dryer. Soon the house was nearly bare.

It was getting dark. I had gone with my dad to get the truck right when he got home from work, and now the July evening was running into night. Some of my friends came over to investigate. My friend Davey and his brother Brian came down from the house on the corner of Wilson Avenue to say good-bye. Then they left. My friend Tony and I had fun letting some of the air our of the truck tires while his dad and my dad worked with the other men to load the furniture. Then his dad said, “Let̓s go home, Tony.” And he was gone, too.
Dad started the truck and drove off. Mom poked her head out the door, “Billy, it̓s time for bed.”
I went in the house and saw my bunk bed was still standing in the bedroom. Vera was already tucked in bed and Karen was asleep in the crib. After Mom quickly helped me into my pajamas, I said my prayers and then went to bed.
I lay there in the darkness on the top bunk. I looked over to where my dresser had been. They had taken that, too. About the only things that remained in the house were our beds and some boxes. Dad̓s radio stuff was still in the basement and the garage needed to be emptied.