Memoir: Moving In

From reluctant love interest to inseparable partner, I was soon ready to save time and money by living together. But not without some drama.

Moving In
Before long it was the end of my last semester at university, and Christmas to boot. I graduated without ceremony, quit my job at World's Treasures and went home to spend the holidays with Mom & Dad. It was the first time in six weeks that Tod & I had been apart but we had a plan for when I got back.

I told my parents that when they returned me to Pittsburgh in January so I could start job hunting, I'd be taking my things to Tod's apartment and winding up my lease on the Carrick place. Mt. Washington was more central to the city and the rent was very low. We could share the costs and have enough to live on even while I looked for work.

Mom offered to pay my rent in Carrick.

She thought I was making a mistake. My previous boyfriend, Sam, had broken my heart. Wouldn't Tod do the same? She didn't want to see me get hurt again. The intention was kind, but I refused her offer.

The weeks passed with a couple of phone calls to and from Tod, and then we were off to Pittsburgh. I knew that Tod & Rob had promised to clean up the Dilworth apartment before we got there. Turns out they stayed up all night taking care of things.

We dropped off my bags and I gave a quick tour. It wasn't as much of a disaster as it had been, though I'm sure its unmaintained bedraggledness didn't impress anyone.

I was excited to show off the quaint rose papered attic space, but when I turned the corner to the door, I saw I warning sign: "Do Not Open!" But I was compelled to peek in. Fortunately, I managed to slam the door shut before anyone else could see, and before anything escaped.

Tod & Rob had filled the stairwell with everything they'd tidied up--including a meter-high ball of "trip shit," wide ribbons of negative image refuse from Bannertalk's four color thermal printer. It had formerly decorated the ceiling and walls of the living room.

We safely escaped Dilworth, and had arranged to have dinner at Station Square, so Tod could join us after work to meet my family. Rob, who worked at the CD shop down the hall, came by first and completely charmed my parents. Rob was a handsome young man from a good family--well-mannered, a beautiful voice, sparkly brown eyes, and good sense of humor. Any parent would love him. I don't think he stayed with us too long, but a few minutes was all it ever took to connect with Rob.

Later, quite a bit later than we'd figured, Tod arrived at our table. He was gangly, goofy and a little nervous. Did he make a good impression? Whether or not he did, it didn't matter because we were together and I was delighted to see him. But I wonder what my parents said in the privacy of their hotel room that night.