Okay, I'm gonna just put this out here because 1) I don't have time to setup the site yet (Just finished moving), and 2) before I forget all of it.
Here's my Moving Story.
Firstly, my friend Tommy agreed to help me move. This I appreciated, and in turn helped him move this and that.
On Friday May 30th, I stopped by Tommy's around 8:30 pm or so to see what was going on and to verify that he was going to be around Saturday morning when I got the U-Haul with which to move my stuff.
Well, arriving at his New House which he just got, I found his parents in-law. They said he was at his old apartment moving stuff. Well, okay then, I'll help him get the last little bit. No problem, right?
Well, turns out he didn't have very much of the "large pieces" of his apartment moved. This includes, but isn't limited to, his couch, washer/dryer, etc. So I immediately step in and help him get those items as well as other stuff (microwave, for example) and whatnot into my own car and haul it over to his house. This continues for a few hours as we make a second trip and grab all that we can, moving it into this house one round at at time.
At the same time, at home my wife is hungry and needs tape in order to seal the rest of the boxes. No problem I say, let me just finish up here at Tommy's and I'll pick something up on the way home. I'll help Tommy as long as it takes to get his shit, because he is helping me the next day.
So after staying out helping Tommy Far Too Late, I grab some Krystal's, head home and eat, and then go back out for tape. A big day awaits tomorrow.
Moving Day
Getting up around 9:15AM, I head over to Tommy's and grab him as we make our way over to Free Service Tire in Morristown where we will pick up the U-Haul. Once we got there, the asshole at the place stays on the phone for 15 minutes before taking my check card, charging it, and handing me the keys. "It's around back," he says, as he takes off. Me and Tommy walk around, and are greeted with a MONSTER of a truck. Like, semi huge.
"You've got this one," he says, pointing to a much smaller truck. I am, to say the least, relieved. And on to the house we travel.
So we pack up the U-Haul, over and over the boxes go, and after a few hours we've almost got everything. We do have my Massive Desk, which goes on last, along with a few dressers and other Big Heavy Boxes, until Tommy drops this nugget:
"Dude, I need to be done by like 1pm today."
"Uh, why."
"I need to be out of my apartment by 4pm today."
"What?"
"If we don't have everything out of the apartment and have it spotless or we lose our security deposit."
"Which is?"
"$75.00"
In my mind I know instantly that 1) There is no way I am not going to have to help clean that apartment and 2) that I will end up paying the $75. And that's okay. I can deal with that. I even expect it. So we decide to go over his new house, eat lunch, and see what happens.
The really odd thing is when I say "c'mon dude, let's go," meaning lets get to his old apartment and get started. It's already pushing 1pm or so, and the clock is ticking like all hell. "Let me spend a few minutes with my wife," he says. What the fuck? Dude, this isn't time for nuzzling, it's time to get the damn move on, and get it over with. I'm already tired.
Finally we take off, with promises to bring back a load and then take the wives with us the second go-around (because his little boy is asleep -- Annie is staying with my mother at the time).
When we get to the apartment I can smell the trouble. The problem. The place is fucking LOADED with shit. Hell, I will go so far to say that he got about 50% of his shit out. And if you don't know, 50% of apartment space can hold a LOT of trash and junk that needs to be moved/cleaned.
He needed his entertainment center moved (this was a biggie), his little boy's crib (which I took apart and moved myself), and barstools, chairs, tables, ALL of his dishes....dear God, what the hell was this boy thinking? That he'd get it done by 4pm that day, AND still help me move? And mention absolutely none of it until we had started moving my shit?
It was overwhelming, but hell, the whole day was like that. There was nothing I could do. I had to just grin, bear, and start somewhere.
So we got a huge load into their borrowed Explorer and my rented Impala. We head back to his house and unload what we can.
At this point I figure we're all going to go to the apartment, finish up what we can (though it's a little after 4pm at this point and the deadline is shot) and then go back to my place and load up the rest (the bed, the washer/dryer, etc). Tommy says if we can finish up my apartment, he and Amanda (and Dylan) will go and finish up his. I know for a fact that the time it takes me and Ericka to finish packing the U-Haul, there is no way we'll have the time to finish cleaning that apartment. But anyway.
Also around this time I'm getting in touch with my mother, who has been watching Annie ever since Friday night. I try to keep her as informed as possible as what looks to become a Train Wreck goes barrelling down the tracks. "I'm sorry, " I told her, "we're working as fast as we can."
Once me and Ericka finish loading up the U-Haul, we hop in the car and head over to Tommy's to grab him and make it back to Oak Ridge before 8pm. It's a few minutes after 6pm and the clock is beyond ticking. It's damn near drained its batteries. And speaking of batteries, mine are shot, my body tired and sore already.
Tommy is just getting back to his house when we arrive, and the silence is a bit disturbing. He speaks to Amanda, and then begins to go on about going to Wal Mart and the grocery store. Such memorable phrases like "I don't know if I'll have time to go to Oak Ridge" and "We need to go pick some shit up at Wal Mart" are far too frequent than I like. I can smell something about to happen, but I'm convinced it will not.
He tells me that when they got to the apartment the housing inspectors were there. They said he needed to be out by 8pm. That he had lost his deposit, and that another day of $15 rent will be due if he's not out by tonight.
"Dude," I say, "I will happily give you another $15 if we can just got to Oak Ridge and finish your place tomorrow. I'll come up here first thing and we'll knock that place out in no time."
He doesn't give me an answer, he struggles mentally to explain his plight. But I
know his plight. He's been explaining it to me long enough. I can read most people easily, and friends easier. The guy is about to crack from the pressure and just give in.
"Tommy," I say (plead), "what do you need from the store."
"Man we need diapers and food and something to eat for supper," blah blah.
"I will buy whatever it takes to just get your through this evening," I say. "We'll run to Food City, get some diapers, something for Amanda, whatever you need for tonight. But we need to leave, now, if we want to finish before all daylight is gone."
"I don't know if I can do that," he mutters.
"Look man, I'm giving you the deposit, I'll pay for the rent tomorrow. We need to go man, if we're going to do this." I choose my words carefully. I feel it coming, the loss of the battle, but I'm trying to craft the right sounds to somehow change his mind.
Finally, I'm tired of playing around. I lay down the hammer. "Look Tommy, if we're going to go we need to go now. Are you in or out?" Yes, I pulled that line from Oceans 11, but dammit, it fit like a glove.
He couldn't look at me as he said it. "I guess I'm out."
Fully disappointed, I told Ericka to get in the car, and it was time to go.
Part 2 tomorow
