Completely in the Dark

It seems spindly now. So small, fragile.

After The Family Project packed into our blue Chevy II station wagon and headed to Maryland, it was likely purchased there.

Made of cherry wood, the dining room table’s accompanying chairs could seat eight with the leaf inserted. They’re the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever sat in.

But I wouldn’t part with it for all the world.

Closing in on 50 years, that dining room set is nearly as old as I am. It’s like a third sibling—a hard, brittle little baby sis or bro, never at ease, always waiting to be told how to look, or where to go next.

Recently I had to clear junk off it, wipe it down and retouch the wood, marked in places from its travel from the folks’ Florida home.

The arc of its history: as a newly acquired piece of furniture in a spacious and…