deserting in droves

Leili throws stuff in the back of the truck. T minus 18 and counting

I have engaged to drive my friends to the ferry. It seems like only yesterday I picked them up. Well, it was the day before yesterday. They brought dinner over last night, and Ballard joked about giving him a wakeup call.
  Well, I couldn't, since he had his phone turned off. Also his alarm, apparently.
  When I showed up to take them to the ferry this ayem, the door was locked and there were no stirrings. I knocked. I hollered. Nothing. I honked the horn. I called both phones.
   Suddenly, Leili was coming outside to throw a bowl of salad in the bushes, muttering about her alarm. Ballard was emptying out ice and turning off the refrigerator and the gas. Both were stuffing suitcases.
  The whole thing gave me agita. This is SO not how I close up. My closing is staged for weeks. This, then that. The soap and candles discarded so as not to entice mice. Diatomaceous (sp?) earth for the silverfish. The outdoor furniture in. The pathways clear for the plumber who drains the pipes. Etc.
   But everyone does it differently. My cousin Roberta scrubs and cleans everything. I don't. Barrett packs up all the linens in bags. I don't. So my ways probably make everyone crazy as well.
   But you can totally see who is who when it comes down to
   crunch time.