The guy shows up with my couch and matching armchair around two in the afternoon. They are beige with a red and orange and brown pattern. The whole set was $120. I'm not going to complain.
The guy's name is Matt. He looks a little older than me. I help him carry the couch up the stairs and set it in the living room. I made a pitcher of iced tea this morning so I would have something to offer him.
"Do you want some iced tea?" I ask.
"No thanks," he says.
I don't even like iced tea, so it feels like kind of a waste. Maybe I can heat it up later.
"I just moved here," I offer.
He just nods.
"What do you guys do for fun around here?" I ask.
I should explain that I'm not cute. I promise that's not me being modest. Bad body, bad skin, you name it. To men like Matt, I'm not on their radar. I'm a cloaked submarine.
I give Matt $120 and he leaves.
I checked and the library closes at 5PM on Sundays. So, I drive over there and attempt to open a library card. I decide I will check out one fun fiction book and one serious nonfiction book every time I go. That way, I can keep up with my education.
The man at the counter is wearing a Hawaiian shirt, and he asks me if I want to register to vote.
"Yes, please," I say. He smiles and hands me a form to fill out.
"This is a nice library," I tell him.
"Do you have anything to prove residency in the state of Michigan?" he asks me. "Utility bills, driver's license, anything like that?"
"Not yet," I admit. "I just moved here."
He takes the voter registration form and the library card back. "Maybe you'd better come back next week," he advises me.
I leave empty handed. Next door is a coffee shop. It looks cozy, so I head inside.
"Do you have loose leaf tea?" I ask the barista.
She pulls out a wooden box of teabags. They're all the same brand, Tazo. I decide I'm not paying $1.85 when I could buy an entire box of teabags at the grocery store for $3.00. I order a cinnamon roll latte.
"This is good," I say as I take a tiny sip of the scalding liquid.
The barista smiles and says nothing. This is an independent coffee shop, so she's not wearing a nametag. I pick up my cup of coffee and leave.
On the way home, I spot a garage sale, so I pull over. I buy a small coffee table for $10 and wrestle it into the back seat. I also buy a copy of Chicken Soup for the Golfer's Soul. I don't know how to golf, but it was that or a Windows Vista manual.
I carry the coffee table up the steps and set it down in front of my new couch. On top of it I place the book and the cup of coffee. It's pretty cold now, so I pour it into a nice mug and warm it up.
It's Sunday. I'm supposed to call my mom on Sundays. But I don't feel like it yet. I check Facebook and Reddit and 4chan. There's some stupid meme going around about eggs with legs. I draw one in MS Paint and post it, but no one comments. I go to crosswords.com and finish today's and yesterday's.
I make myself spaghetti and go to bed early. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for me.
