The Plan

I feel as though it’s been months since I’ve seen the sun. I’m beginning to wonder if it even still exists. I was especially missing it this morning as I made my way up to class, my frozen toes clinging to the edges of my slippery flip flops. I was very unprepared for such a dreary day in my unwillingness to admit just how dreary it was. Generally I find this type of sun withdrawal very depressing, but today I’m happy.

I woke up this morning anticipating a bad mood. I was fully prepared to be miserable and grumpy all day, hitting the snooze button at least three times before finally admitting defeat. I got up and discovered a long email from my favorite person in the world which immediately set the tone for the rest of the day. It’s amazing how certain people can just make you utterly and sublimely happy. I had a good day at school, which included the absence of certain annoying classmates, and then took the long way home, enjoying a more scenic route through west Philadelphia. When I got home, my dad was putting the last few books into boxes and told me he had gotten an interesting call from mom.

So now he knows, or knows the big picture at least. He’s been prying the details out of me as my mom was, in her usual manner, withholding on the specifics. Here’s the plan. We’re selling the house. My dad’s moving to an apartment in Ambler a week from today, at which point my mom will come here and help Harry and I clear everything out of the house for a garage sale. It’s pretty much an everything-must-go deal where we’re cleaning out the past to make way for the future. If anybody wants anything I own, let me know and I’ll give it to you before adding it to the garage sale pile. It’s going to be strange to rid my life of the majority of my possessions, but exciting all at the same time. For someone like me who revels in new beginnings, this is a fantastic opportunity.

My mom is currently trying to buy the apartment building in Manayunk she’s been living in. It’s not really an apartment building so much as a house that’s been divided into an apartment on each of the three floors. It will be perfect if it works out. My mom will take the third floor, the second floor will be shared living/dining room space with a kitchen and magnificent deck overlooking Manayunk, and Harry and I will share the first floor apartment, basement and backyard. That way, we have our own space, but we’re still living together. It would just be the ideal situation for all of us.

Plus, I would love to live in Manayunk, especially within walking distance of Main Street. I love how friendly and neighborly it is there. I would love to know people on my street and to be surrounded by people closer to my age. I’ve really never had that kind of neighborhood and I’ve always been jealous of those who do. Nor have I ever lived within walking distance of stores and restaurants and bars. When I turn 21, I’ll be able to walk to and from the bars without having to worry about driving or finding a ride. It will just be wonderful.

Not to mention the excitement of the basement perfect for beer pong, the backyard perfect for sitting and smoking, the deck perfect for dinner and wine with friends. It’s just such a charming little house. I’ll get to live in it with my mother, whom I miss more than I like to let on, and my brother who I’d like to be closer to. I may regret saying this later, but I think it will be really nice for us to spend this time together. Right now it feels as though we’re worlds apart.

I have so many ideas and goals for this new chapter in my life and I’m so excited about all of them. I’m excited to put the past behind me. I’m excited to leave my childhood here in this house. I think I’ve really been needing this change. For now, there’s a ton to do and I ought to really get started now that I don’t have to hide anything from my father, but first I need to find my slippers because my feet are still frozen from the cold.