Relationship Between The Same Gender: "Clearing House" By Michael Harris

Michael Harris has written a story named “Clearing House”. In this story, the narrator described about different relationship between the same gender. Here, the author and his boyfriend was clearing his parents’ house so that they would live in the house and donating the extra material to the “Salvation Army”.

The narrator described how he and his boyfriend were thinking about their upcoming life while sitting in the middle of the messy room containing bulk of newspaper, glasses full of dust and box marked with salvation army. They were clearing the house of the parent of the authors’ boyfriend so that they can make a space for them to live which was bought by parent at the price of 18000 dollars in the nineties. This was a home where authors’ boyfriend was raised. His parents never imagined that he would introduce another man to his life to live along with him at their place. His mother was a lady who liked her house to be neat and clean, and never allowed anyone to sit on a floral print sofa for watching movie. His mother now was an old lady suffering from Alzheimer disease.

Now author and his boyfriend use basement to feed the cats. The house was totally in a distorted manner as rug was stained as a result of carelessness. Moreover covering of the arm chair was also torn by the cat. One day, they decided to clean the basement to make a space for them to live. All the things were completely scattered all around the room like. There they found a steamer trunk which was never opened by the parents. When they opened it they found a pan with a sticker, a container, wine glasses, dresses and men socks and stockings in a packet which indicated that they were not used.

To look deeply into the matter boyfriends’ old father was called who told them that it belonged to a lady who left that with them and said them that she is leaving for Europe and will come back soon to take her belongings, but she never came back. While boyfriend and his father were discussing about this author arranged the old sewing machine and spools of threads that was of no use into a corner and made more space. And then they kept the box as it is because lady said she would return and use the stuff afterwards. But they knew that she would be old and people once gone never come back. Most of the items there were old fashioned to modern eye and they disliked that. Nothing was good enough to keep with them or precious.

Author thought that as he had no attachment with any of the item so it would be easy for him to throw but this would not be as easy for boyfriend to discard everything and nothing much would be benefitted by selling these item. They found some more items such as set of teacups, an old jacket which was waste for author. They packed majority of the items. Then found measuring cups made of plastic, a glassware and gifts which were then wrapped into newspaper and fitted those into boxes. Most of the stuff was to decorate the house and now was heavy and not at all important. Author found a cup which was marked as “Greek coffee” and decided to throw it but boyfriend stopped him to do so.

After collecting all items and packing them the couple moved to Salvation Army and dropped the boxes at the back side of the store, in few minutes. However collecting these items took a great time. Few women were sitting where they dropped items. After returning home they decided that their master bedroom will have just a bed and nothing more. They then received a mail in which it was notified that houses those were bought for price under 20000 dollars now cost 250000 dollars and no one could stay in them as they were to tear-down.