[The Hangout Thread]

[JWeinCom]

Ok. Not really the purpose for the thread, but gotta vent somewhere.

So, when I was teaching I had my own apartment. I had a recliner that I absolutely fucking loved. I always wanted one, but never could have one when living with my parents due to space concerns. My teaching career ended poorly. Literally went directly from my last school placement to a psych word. The hardest part was giving up my apartment. I was 31 before I moved out, which made me feel like a failure. I was so happy when I had my own place that even before I had any furniture there I would go, just sit in it and have a sandwich (my parents were across the street so it was a short distance). I didn't want to store the furniture due to expenses and not really knowing when I'd have a new job. I begged my mom to let me keep just the recliner, but nope.

Anyway, I needed to get rid of the furniture I bought, and the whole thing was just too much for me. So, my aunt was interested and I told her she could just take whatever she wanted if she handled the leg work. I didn't ask for any money I just didn't want to deal with it. I said though that I wanted the recliner back when I had a place of my own again.

I wound up moving into my grandmother's apartment during the pandemic. She needed help throughout the day, so she stayed with my mom and dad, and I stayed in her apartment. The idea was that I would stay there when she got back too, and eventually take it over (it's a coop and it's hard to get). Everyone but my grandma was pretty sure that wouldn't happen, but we let her believe it. My grandmother passed away (she was 95 so she led a long life) and the apartment was officially mine. My parents continued to pay the rent while I finished law school.

Once the apartment was mine, I wanted my recliner back. So I asked for it. My aunt lives in the same building so I thought I could just go and grab it. My aunt responded asking if I *really* wanted it back, because it was kind of old and in not great condition (was in fine condition when I gave it to her). She even sent me pictures of other recliners I could buy. I responded that it had a lot of sentimental value to me and I would like it back. She replied that they had to remove the door from the hinges to get it in, and I would have to pay for mine to be removed and blah blah blah. At first I was willing to do it, but I really didn't have a ton of disposable income, and didn't know when I'd get some. My aunt said she was going to get rid of it if I didn't want it, so I eventually told her to just do it. Maybe a year ago?

Anyway, today I'm on my way to the gym for a swim, and taking an exit I usually don't use. As I leave, I look to my right and there is my recliner. I'd know it anywhere. It was still in tact. If it couldn't fit through her door how could that be? Surely she wouldn't have paid to have the door taken off its hinges just to get rid of it, she'd have taken it apart.

Anyway, I go to take my swim and on my way back I grab the chair. With the teensiest bit of squishing the sides together, it goes right through the doorframe. Getting it into my bedroom was only slightly more of a challenge. So, I really could have gotten it at any point over the last year and a half or so I've been here.

So, kind of pissed. Because obviously it was bullshit. Dunno if she didn't want me to see the condition the chair was in (it's a little sketchy but I think a good cleaning and it will be fine) or just was too lazy to get it to me (although it was not much further than leaving it in the outside of her building). It was something that was really important to me, would have taken the smallest effort to get it to me, but was just left lying outside. It's honestly a bizarre coincidence that I even found it, because I didn't start using that exit till recently when I changed gyms, and I only go three days a week, so the odds were heavily against me seeing it ever again. I'm tempted to have the next holiday here just so she can see the chair and try to explain how it could have gotten here. But that probably won't accomplish anything. I know with all that's going on it's stupid to get worked up over a chair, but it really had a lot of sentimental value. I associated it with being on my own and losing it was associated with failure.

On the bright side, I have my beloved recliner back, so maybe I should just be happy about that. Really thought I'd never see it again. And now that I'm gainfully employed (or soon to be at least have a position waiting for me after graduation), it's the perfect time for it to be back.