it was the little things that stunned hadley the most , not the obvious absences-the coats on the hooks by the back door , or the wool blanket that was usually draped over the couch in the next room-but the smaller pockets of space : the missing ceramic jar she 'd made him in pottery class , the framed photo of his parents that had sat on the hutch , the empty spot in the cabinet where his mug had always been .