The Books by the Stairs
Nicole and I came home tonight to find a box of books by the stairs.
My neighbor's girlfriend moved out yesterday. I was a witness to a dramatic farewell.....or something like it. On my way up from the basement where I was doing laundry they were saying their farewells outside his door and her friend had gone with her to help carry her boxes. He said goodbye, they kissed and then he said goodbye to Jen, her friend. Girlfriend told him to stay in touch. Jen replied with a dry, "Goodbye jerk!". I quickened my steps because I felt embarrassed standing there in the midst of these strangers at this remarkable Hallmark card moment.
So tonight I guess he had cleaned out his apartment and have removed every remaining trace of her belongings, her books included. Nicole gazed down as she was climbing the steps and stopped when she saw some of the titles. "Mom! Plato!".
I stepped backwards and looked through the pile, neatly arranged spine up and picked up "Great Dialogues of Plato" which Nicole wanted. Then browsing through the rest, picked up some more:
Voltaire's Bastards
Julia Glass' Three Junes
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
There were other books but I have them already - either in my shelf or at home in Manila. And some cookbooks that didn't seem that savory.
We were giggling as we raced up the stairs with our loot. And then I told Nicole about living in Burbank in CA when I first arrived in the US with a friend. We were both just starting out so furnishing for the one bedroom apartment we shared was limited by a very tight budget. She had picked up her mattress and her sofa from the street. The mattress was so lumpy she had to pile comforters on it to make it comfortable and the sofa was worn in many places it only could look decent if it had a throw over it - a big one. I slept on an inflatable bed that deflated quickly that if I was too lazy to re-inflate it nightly it would feel like I had slept on the floor by the next morning.
When you come to a new country with the plan of relocating, the initial challenge often is about setting up living quarters. My previous supervisor here in NY had told me about her first apartment - she slept on a mattress and TV on the floor for a year because she was saving for the downpayment for her first home. When she had finally bought one, it took even longer to furnish and she's still struggling through the basics now, two years later.
When I first got my first Manhattan apartment the only luxury I could afford were the basics from Ikea. It's a starter-set furniture company but they have a few items that are worth the price (lamps, frames, glassware). NEVER, however, EVER buy a bed or a sofa from Ikea. Specially NOT a bed that expects any action. They're just not made for that.
Slowly, you trade the starter pieces for other items that are pricier (read:sturdier) that somehow reflect your sense of style. I migrated from a single to a full bed last year when the Italian gifted me with it same time as he gave me a couch. My computer desk I bought on sale from Office Depot and proudly assembled myself. The dining chairs are hand-overs from Karen and Gerry after they moved out of their apartment a block away.
I still own some of my starter pieces - the pots, pans, a $10 full length mirror from Bed, Bath, Beyond and a small lamp from Ikea attached to a timer. The rest are upgrades.
Still when I leave and move into a condo with my name in the title and where I will be paying mortgage instead of rent, I plan to leave most of these behind. Maybe sell some on craigslist, donate others to Goodwill and then some, to leave in a box near the stairs for another person to enjoy.
Friday is for late night day-dreaming.
My neighbor's girlfriend moved out yesterday. I was a witness to a dramatic farewell.....or something like it. On my way up from the basement where I was doing laundry they were saying their farewells outside his door and her friend had gone with her to help carry her boxes. He said goodbye, they kissed and then he said goodbye to Jen, her friend. Girlfriend told him to stay in touch. Jen replied with a dry, "Goodbye jerk!". I quickened my steps because I felt embarrassed standing there in the midst of these strangers at this remarkable Hallmark card moment.
So tonight I guess he had cleaned out his apartment and have removed every remaining trace of her belongings, her books included. Nicole gazed down as she was climbing the steps and stopped when she saw some of the titles. "Mom! Plato!".
I stepped backwards and looked through the pile, neatly arranged spine up and picked up "Great Dialogues of Plato" which Nicole wanted. Then browsing through the rest, picked up some more:
Voltaire's Bastards
Julia Glass' Three Junes
J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye
There were other books but I have them already - either in my shelf or at home in Manila. And some cookbooks that didn't seem that savory.
We were giggling as we raced up the stairs with our loot. And then I told Nicole about living in Burbank in CA when I first arrived in the US with a friend. We were both just starting out so furnishing for the one bedroom apartment we shared was limited by a very tight budget. She had picked up her mattress and her sofa from the street. The mattress was so lumpy she had to pile comforters on it to make it comfortable and the sofa was worn in many places it only could look decent if it had a throw over it - a big one. I slept on an inflatable bed that deflated quickly that if I was too lazy to re-inflate it nightly it would feel like I had slept on the floor by the next morning.
When you come to a new country with the plan of relocating, the initial challenge often is about setting up living quarters. My previous supervisor here in NY had told me about her first apartment - she slept on a mattress and TV on the floor for a year because she was saving for the downpayment for her first home. When she had finally bought one, it took even longer to furnish and she's still struggling through the basics now, two years later.
When I first got my first Manhattan apartment the only luxury I could afford were the basics from Ikea. It's a starter-set furniture company but they have a few items that are worth the price (lamps, frames, glassware). NEVER, however, EVER buy a bed or a sofa from Ikea. Specially NOT a bed that expects any action. They're just not made for that.
Slowly, you trade the starter pieces for other items that are pricier (read:sturdier) that somehow reflect your sense of style. I migrated from a single to a full bed last year when the Italian gifted me with it same time as he gave me a couch. My computer desk I bought on sale from Office Depot and proudly assembled myself. The dining chairs are hand-overs from Karen and Gerry after they moved out of their apartment a block away.
I still own some of my starter pieces - the pots, pans, a $10 full length mirror from Bed, Bath, Beyond and a small lamp from Ikea attached to a timer. The rest are upgrades.
Still when I leave and move into a condo with my name in the title and where I will be paying mortgage instead of rent, I plan to leave most of these behind. Maybe sell some on craigslist, donate others to Goodwill and then some, to leave in a box near the stairs for another person to enjoy.
Friday is for late night day-dreaming.