No rest for the weary. After that monster day of travel from Honduras to Chicago, I only had one day in town before having to head right back out to sea. I had no time for goofing around, as I had to drop off dry cleaning, do a major load of laundry, get a haircut, pay off a few bills, check my P.O. box and then teach my class at Harper College from 7-9pm.
That’s a busy day for anybody, and by the time class was over I was ready to nod out for a few hours but I had more work to do at home. Emails are piling up, and I refuse to allow those to get out of control like they so often have in the past. I trimmed the list back down to where it was, and by then it was time to take a shower and head out to catch my plane.
Right as I was about to board I received a text from my roommate asking me to “read an important email she‘d just sent.” Oh oh. What could that possibly be? It’s that bad feeling of “wait ‘til your father comes home.” I had no way of getting to a computer, and I could only imagine what it might be. Was she sick? Was I being asked to leave? What was it?
I got to Miami and tried calling her from the airport, but she was still at work. We rarely if ever see each other, and that’s what’s made this whole arrangement work so well for so long. It’s going on two and a half years now, and I put my rent in an envelope and leave it on the kitchen table on the first of each month. It’s always there and never been late once.
When I got to the ship I was able to sign on line and get her email. It turns out she’ll be moving at the end of the month because she and her new husband found a house they feel will be ideal for their new situation, which is a Brady Bunch situation. He has a couple of kids and she has two daughters so they were starting to sniff around for a bigger house.
She said they didn’t expect to find such a perfect place so quickly, but they did. That’s how it goes, and I’m happy for them. She thought I’d be angry, but how could I be? This was a very good deal for both of us, and at the time I moved in she really needed the cash for her kids. They’re both super sweet and if I could be of help at a time of need I’m glad.
I figured my days were limited there anyway. It just felt like time to move on, and this is a great way to make it happen without causing any hard feelings in either direction. She’s got her new life and I don’t want to live in a basement like an insect the rest of mine. It’s time to have a different base of operations, clean the slate and start my life’s next chapter.
Like every thing else, the timing of this isn’t the greatest. They’ve made a commitment to be out by November 30th. I’ve only got about three days home in the whole month. My schedule is packed full of ship gigs which will let me pay rent in my next living space but how I’ll manage to find a way to clean everything out of where I am is still up in the air.
I’d been meaning to do a purge, and now I’ll have my chance. Look out Goodwill. Here comes a major donation of books, DVDs, clothing and everything else I haven’t touched in the past year. If I don’t use it - out it’s going to go. Another page in life is ready to turn.
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