It happens a few times a month. U-Haul Saturday at our apartment complex. One of two trucks, backed up to curb in front of one of the units,loading up the belongings of a tenant. Most of the time it is a quiet event, two or three people quietly walk to and fro loading up the truck and maybe a car or two. The process begins and ends in a few hours.
Sometimes the truck is part of a noisy exit. Sometimes there is shouting and fingerpointing. Often there are tears. It becomes clear, even from a distance, that half of a couple is leaving. The half that stays behind generally keeps to themselves after the truck leaves.
Much of the time unneeded or unwanted personal effects are left behind. I see it too much to believe it is unintentional. Piles of shirts or jackets. Boxes of CDs, books or photo albums. Left at the bottom of the stairs of a three story unit. Left on the sidewalk by the parking lot. Left.
These are the type of things that hold emotional value to some people. Or they mean nothing at all.