I’m a little nervous about our move into our new house. We’re going in with the bed we bought for Keno’s house, a dining room table, a Bombay cabinet, and a corner bookshelf. That’s it.
In hindsight, buying a bed together should probably have made us realize there was something between us a long time ago. That’s just not something friends do. Sure, maybe friends might help you pick out a bed, but not choose a bed to share and purchase it together.
The signs were there. We were being dense.
My phone rings and I stand to pull it out of my pocket. I meet Keno’s eyes and smile as I answer. “Hey, Eddy.”
“Hey. This a good time?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, I think I have the living room all set. You need a television, too, right?”
“Yes.”
“I thought that’s what you said. Okay, so I got this really badass couch that breaks down into different configurations, but not like the boxes one.”
I laugh. “The boxes one?”
“Yeah, you know. How you can put them together like they’re blocks. This one has different components that you can arrange, but they’re like… grown-up blocks.”
I laugh again. “Okay.”
She sighs. “There are three pieces that are extra wide chairs with built-in cup holders and shit. One is a chaise. There’s a wide part that pulls out into a sleeper couch, which I think is unnecessary. You said there are three guest rooms, right?”
“Right.”
“Eh. You’ll find something to use the bed for. Or not. Either way, I think you’re going to like the couch.”
I smile, nodding. Initially, we were going to ask Edna to help us with the wedding. But we’re beyond the point where we need to much help. It feels as if we got by the hurdles that were causing us stress and frustration.
However, planning a wedding and furnishing a whole house? On top of hockey, planning a honeymoon, and other commitments? It was a lot. The only thing we could give up was furnishing the new house.
Which we did gratefully. Edna’s having a blast, too. I’m not sure we see her vision, but I’m also not sure we care a whole lot. She knows we’re not entirely excited about light colors—like baby pink or mint green. We don’t want a house filled with pink or yellow or red. If she stuck to variations of our favorite colors, we’d be happy.
“That’s fine,” I say. “What else?”
“I think the living room is pretty much finished. You’re good in the kitchen, too, right? It has appliances?”
I nod. “Yep. We’re talking about changing out the built-in microwave because we hate it, but that’s not something immediately necessary and we might learn to love it.”
“Okay. I’m going to move on to your bedroom. You don’t have a frame for the bed, right?”
“Just one of those metal ones that keeps it off the floor.”
Edna sighs. “It’s like you’re in college again.”
“Don’t forget the furniture we have,” I remind her.
“Oh no. I already have ideas.”
Smiling, I nod. “Send me pictures. I need to get back to packing.”
“’Kay. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I hang up and return to the bedroom, where we’re packing the entire suite together. “Everything okay?” Keno asks as I join him at the nightstand. Seriously, how did I get so much shit when I was rarely here? Sometimes I have to remind myself I was here before Keno was traded. Which means I’ve acquired some shit in the couple of years before he became the center of my life.
