Flashback... again
When I graduated from Highschool my parents gave me luggage. I took the hint.
My parents (and I) lived in Cincinnati and when I went to college my SAT's were Med-High but my grades... well not so much. I went to a state school because I knew A. I'd get in and B. I could afford it. With loans and crap. It was 120 miles away. Just far enough, but not too far.
I moved into Morril tower along with a billion other freshman. We lived with 4 people in a room and 4 rooms in a suite and 8 suites on a floor. That meant there were 16 guys (and usually 2-4 girls (lucky bastards)) per bathroom. 4 sinks, 3 toilets and 2 (count them...) 2 showers.
I moved the very first day you could. I have a few days before classes would start and I moved into the rather sterile building. I didn't know it at the time but the architectural design was actually for a low security prison or jail. They just reversed the locks so we could get in and out.
My parents helped me move in and I started meeting other guys in my suite. Dana (yes it was a guy) and Mike who were best friends in Highschool. OK people if you're best friends with a guy in Highschool, DO NOT live with them in college, k? Dana was later known as the "sloth" and Mike was just so highstrung we thought he would die from heart failure before we graduated.
We were walking through the lobby and some girls were trying to get a foot locker upstairs so we helped them. I didn't know these two guys at all, but we carried it to the elevator and up to whatever floor and into the room and when we dropped it off Dana said to them (you can't make this up). He looked at them and without even a smile he said, "What? No blow job??"
Mike and I (Mike was his best friend) explained quickly that we didn't know Dana at all. We made our exit, but it pretty much set the tone for my whole freshman year...
None of my roommates showed up that day. I got the bed I wanted, the dresser I wanted the desk and everything. One of our roommates didn't end up showing up. He had bailed, but I'm ahead of myself.
My parents took me out to dinner and my mom was being a bit emotional and so was my dad. I knew it was a big moment for them, but fuck it was huge for me. We got caught in this huge line of cars on Olentange Ave. Lots of kids moving into the dorm. I was anticipating the goodbye and I really didn't want to deal with them having their last child "fly the nest." All my shit was in my room. We were just stuck. I was in the back seat of the car. I can see it like it was yesterday.
I said goodbye rather matter of factly and I got out of the car right into traffic.
I told myself I was "saving" my parents the pain of saying goodbye. I told myself I was saving me from having to see it. I thought it was better that way. I think they did a U turn and headed home. I walked about a 1/2 mile to my new home. It was a long 1/2 mile. I put them behind me and I dealt with my fear about living there and being in college. I set them aside, til about now. As a parent I can see it from their point of view some almost 20 years later.
We can't be proud of all of our flashbacks, now can we?
My parents (and I) lived in Cincinnati and when I went to college my SAT's were Med-High but my grades... well not so much. I went to a state school because I knew A. I'd get in and B. I could afford it. With loans and crap. It was 120 miles away. Just far enough, but not too far.
I moved into Morril tower along with a billion other freshman. We lived with 4 people in a room and 4 rooms in a suite and 8 suites on a floor. That meant there were 16 guys (and usually 2-4 girls (lucky bastards)) per bathroom. 4 sinks, 3 toilets and 2 (count them...) 2 showers.
I moved the very first day you could. I have a few days before classes would start and I moved into the rather sterile building. I didn't know it at the time but the architectural design was actually for a low security prison or jail. They just reversed the locks so we could get in and out.
My parents helped me move in and I started meeting other guys in my suite. Dana (yes it was a guy) and Mike who were best friends in Highschool. OK people if you're best friends with a guy in Highschool, DO NOT live with them in college, k? Dana was later known as the "sloth" and Mike was just so highstrung we thought he would die from heart failure before we graduated.
We were walking through the lobby and some girls were trying to get a foot locker upstairs so we helped them. I didn't know these two guys at all, but we carried it to the elevator and up to whatever floor and into the room and when we dropped it off Dana said to them (you can't make this up). He looked at them and without even a smile he said, "What? No blow job??"
Mike and I (Mike was his best friend) explained quickly that we didn't know Dana at all. We made our exit, but it pretty much set the tone for my whole freshman year...
None of my roommates showed up that day. I got the bed I wanted, the dresser I wanted the desk and everything. One of our roommates didn't end up showing up. He had bailed, but I'm ahead of myself.
My parents took me out to dinner and my mom was being a bit emotional and so was my dad. I knew it was a big moment for them, but fuck it was huge for me. We got caught in this huge line of cars on Olentange Ave. Lots of kids moving into the dorm. I was anticipating the goodbye and I really didn't want to deal with them having their last child "fly the nest." All my shit was in my room. We were just stuck. I was in the back seat of the car. I can see it like it was yesterday.
I said goodbye rather matter of factly and I got out of the car right into traffic.
I told myself I was "saving" my parents the pain of saying goodbye. I told myself I was saving me from having to see it. I thought it was better that way. I think they did a U turn and headed home. I walked about a 1/2 mile to my new home. It was a long 1/2 mile. I put them behind me and I dealt with my fear about living there and being in college. I set them aside, til about now. As a parent I can see it from their point of view some almost 20 years later.
We can't be proud of all of our flashbacks, now can we?
posted by J.R. at 2:49 PM
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