The Postscript: The homes of dead people

A cousin of mine reportedly said, “I can’t imagine living in a house where other people have lived!”

I don’t know if she really said this, as I heard the story secondhand. But it stuck in my mind because every home I’ve owned has been lived in by other people, and a few people have died in them as well. So far, this has not bothered me in the least.

I’m used to living in the homes of dead people.

The first house I bought was owned by a woman named Ruby. She was still living there when I bought it, but she wasn’t doing very well. She had outlived two husbands in the house,...