Actually, Beth just moved. But it feels the same.
I felt a bit nauseous in the morning. Not because I was terribly sad at that moment, just because...I don't even really know. It just felt like a big day was pending.
We started off by having coffee together and making a list of stuff that was still around the house that we thought was hers so we could find it and pack it up. Neither of us were particularly fussed about where any of the stuff ended up, so it was a pretty small list. It's easier to not care than it is to try and remember who bought what over the last 4 years, and make decisions about where the stuff will call home.
Then Beth went out to do a final goodbye lunch with a couple of her friends, and I stayed home and hermitted. I had a good excuse though. I had some work to do and seeing as though I was taking the rest of the day off, I really needed to cross off a couple of things on my to-do list. Plus I didn't really want to sit through someone else's goodbyes. Figured I'd leave them to it.
When she got home we went into super-packing, super-cleaning mode. Beth thought she was totally organised and ready to go, but in true form there was lots she hadn't thought about or arranged. Apparently I get to keep lots of her junk, like a 15 year old computer that hasn't worked in 10 years, and a printer that isn't compatible with any computer made in this millenium! Two broken VHS players! Old hubcaps! Ugly platters! Yesssssssss!!!
She also realised half an hour before we were due to leave that she was supposed to go to Centrelink today with some college paperwork, and inform them that we were no longer de-factos. But that was no problem, because Centrelink are so efficient and helpful. It didn't hold us up at all.
Our final act in our house was eating sushi from Roppongi and drinking a beer. Sushi + beer has probably been the most frequently consumed meal in this house, so we thought it was fitting. We took a photo:
After this, and a few sentimental tears which we quickly wiped away, we were finally on the road. Just 2 hours behind schedule. Beth had to arrive at college and register at her accommodation before 5. We parked our cars at 4:57. But that didn't seem to phase anyone but us, it was all far more informal than we expected. Straight away some of the girls from the dorms pitched in to bring Beth's stuff from the cars up to her room, and then the two of us spent a bit of time setting up the essentials before she had to go to a welcome dinner. We procrastinated about the goodbyes, even though we were both trying to do it quickly. I didn't want her to go to the dinner all upset. I lost my composure when I left the building and was walking to my car when of course I ran into someone who I hadn't seen in years and had to have the "Oh, so you're going to bible college, that's wonderful" conversation with him while trying to hide my tears behind my sunglasses and hoping he didn't notice the wobble in my voice.
If you've ever watched the episode of Friends where Rachel moves out of Monica's house and across the hallway to Joey's, you'll probably remember thinking "What's the big deal? She's just across the hall!". Over the past little while, and especially today, I've been reprimanding myself with these same thoughts. It's just Sydney! I have heaps of friends in Sydney that I see regularly!
But that's not really the issue, and I know it, so I should quit the chastising. This sounds cheesy, but it's the end of an era. Beth's been one of my closest friends, my housemate, my pseudo-partner, my pseudo-sister. She was the first reason Wollongong was home to me. We've shared so much of our lives. We learnt together, and from each other, what it means to live relationally...prioritising the friendship and the other over any pragmatic house stuff or selfish impulses.
I felt a little uneasy tonight driving back down the mountain into Wollongong knowing we had different homes now.
It's all going to get easier once she has her new thing going on at college, and I have Katie and Shelley. We knew the transition would be the hardest part.
May God make our respective paths straight.
4 comments:
hey hun, i know from my obsessive google reader tendancies that you already have new housemates, but my contract's up in June - i'll move in?!!
hope all is well. it snowed here today which meant a day off work. much needed and very excting x
Maybe we can do a house swap for awhile. Except I need til the end-ish of the year. How does that sound?
Oh this made me teary, so sad!!
I hate ends of era's, even when they're not mine!
Thinking of you Jess. Glad you stopped telling yourself it was only Sydney and allowed yourself to feel sad. That is important.
Speaking of Sydney friends I would like to catch up with you.
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