A Place of Our Own

I remember when we first moved into the apartment. We had so little furniture, but we were so happy to be off campus and in an apartment that we didn't care. I can recall an odd assortment of lawn chairs--the low kind, sand chairs--in the living room at first and maybe a kitchen table with a few chrome chairs in the dining room. No beds. Before very long, someone gave us a lumpy, ugly couch and it became the coveted sleeping spot. It was first come, first served, since no one person could totally lay claim to it.

I remember being out on dates with Andy and having to make the tough call:

Should I say yes to going out for coffee, even though it is already late, or try to rush home and hope I'm in time to get the couch instead of the floor? But what if I do rush home and one of the other girls thought the same thing and beats me home? Then I'll miss out on coffee and conversation late into the night for nothing--same old hard floor as always.

Eventually, we added at least one other ugly sofa--there may have even been a total of three. Also, I rounded up a bed somewhere--I think my merciful little brother gave me one of the bunks from his bunkbed set. Sheila had the most pathetic sofa sleeper thing that she used all year--not actually a sofa--just an overstuffed chair that folded out into a sort of twin bed. Karleen must have had some sort of bed eventually. In contrast, Mary Beth had a nicely appointed bedroom with coordinating accessories and decor on the walls, I think. Brenda had...well, I have no idea. I don't know if I ever went in there when it was occupied by either her or her replacement roommate, Lois.

It never was a pretty apartment, but we invited people over just the same. I wonder what they thought of our little pit? Remember how we even had that big Christmas party and everything? What were we thinking, bringing people into that place? They were all so polite, as I recall. What we lacked in decor, we made up for in fun, perhaps.