“Really, Ken. Thanks for letting me stay until I can find a place,” she said, as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “You are the best big brother a girl could have.”
It was fun having Linda staying with me, and I showed her around the area before she began to look for a nice, cheap apartment. She definitely wanted to move in before she started school. However, the apartment thing got difficult.
By mid-week, she began to get frustrated. As I cooked up some dinner, we both sipped some wine in the kitchen.
“Damn it, Ken, all that I have been able to find are in those massive complexes, the ones full of undergraduates. I’ve already lived around frat rats, and parties with loud noises from the swimming pool after midnight.”
“Okay,” I said. “Here is what we do. You stop your search. You just stay here with me. I will be at my work late most every day. You will have a lot of closet space, and there is a very large storage room off the deck for any extra stuff. I only use one of the covered parking spaces, so you will have a place to park.”
“Oh Ken, I don’t know. I don’t want to disturb your life. I will find something.”
“Nonsense! We did well living together for many years. So, I think we can suffer through a few more,” I said, with a big smile. “And if you want to bring someone home some night, you’re an adult, it’s your call. And don’t worry about me. With my current workload, I won’t have time for much of a social life for a few months.”
She just stood there a minute, and I could see she was thinking about it. It did make a lot of sense.
“Okay…Okay…but, I must pull my weight around here. You know, cooking and cleaning and stuff.”
“Done!” I said, with a big smile. “But, I am still the ‘chef de cuisine’ here.”
“Yes! Agreed,” she said, as she clapped her hands, and gave me a strangling bear hug. The deal was sealed.
It took a bit of work, but we finally got all her stuff to the condo, or at least all she would need for her time in grad school. All the kitchen stuff, sheets and bedding were all here, so it wasn’t too big of a job. She moved in and started classes. It was really working out well, for I did like having her around, and it seemed like old times. That is, except for the fact, we were older and I was working my ass off, and she was deep into her studies.
We developed a great routine, and traded off cleaning and laundry. I did most of the cooking because she did a lot of things well, but cooking wasn’t one of them. But I did see an improvement in the overall cleanliness of the condo, and she certainly loved having her very own bathroom! We still joked about that accidental ‘naked day’ back in our old house.
Things were clicking along for a couple of months. She adjusted well to this new level of academic life, but then, she was a very smart lady. And my workload settled down as some newer associates joined the firm. Linda and I had some time on the weekends to hang out and relax. She and I always got along well, and now was no different.
One Saturday, I suggested we go out for pizza, when she informed me that she had a date. Well, this was a new development, and I was glad she was expanding her horizons. “Great. You need to get out and find some new friends.”