Wednesday 06 August 2003

In July 2002, I won the heart of Kari. What does one do with such a prized possession? Cherish it, of course. Over the month of August every indication showed that I had finally found the one.

Little things are always important. One day when Kari was working and I had off, I showed up to work with a surprise over her lunch break... irises in a vase, candles lit in the lunchroom, and a wonderful supper of salad, manicotti, and garlic bread. Her jaw dropped... it was perfect. Flowers were given a couple times a week so that dead ones never had to remain in the vases at home.

We were spending every waking moment together and most of the sleeping ones, too. Then she had a simple question: why are we paying rent at two different places? She had a point... it didn't make sense. One year ago this week I moved into the farmhouse in Mindoro. It was a little over 20 miles to drive to work, but waiting for me at home was a beautiful young woman who adored me.

Of course, moving meant expenses. I had the dead Audi towed to a shop and moved in the not-so-dead Pontiac. Once the Audi was finally up and running for good, I could unload the Pontiac. Also, there was the matter of last month's rent at my old apartment plus half the rent at the new one.

That wasn't the only financial matter, though... with Kari's separation and dissolution of her joint bank accounts with her soon-to-be-ex, Kari's paycheck (normally directly-deposited into said account) had no place to go. The payroll snafu meant she wasn't paid one check and the payroll clerk trying to go through the corporate office said it might be 2-3 weeks before a check would find its way to her. (Corporations are one thing... what really stung was that the payroll clerk was Kari's aunt.) Being we were newly coupled and living together, I deposited $400 into her checking account to help out.

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