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On waking up at the rest area Saturday morning, I drove to Menasha, stopping at Speedway for a newspaper and a hot dog, then on to Jefferson Park (the place where Catherine and I have most often played together) to scope the classifieds for a new apartment. I watched the water of Lake Winnebago for a bit, then made my way to a pay phone. The first place (on the north side of Appleton) wouldn't be vacant for another week... the second (in Little Chute) required a credit check I was sure to fail. I had almost all my belongings in the U-Haul, and if I didn't find a place that afternoon, I'd have to unload and store them in Oshkosh, then wait for a ride down to Mom's. (Still haven't made it past Setback Number One.) Fortunately, the third place I tried was ready into which to move, and with landlords kind enough to let me do so right away. By 5pm Saturday, the truck was unloaded, and I became a resident of the City of Menasha... just two blocks from the gas station at which I'd stopped late in the morning. I called Mom to let her know I didn't need a ride after all. Sunday morning the rental was due in Oshkosh. I drove it down and picked up my deposit. Unfortunately, money (with no employment over the past five weeks) is as tight as it's ever been for me. I walked eleven miles from downtown Oshkosh to the south side of Neenah to cut down on cab fare. If I had slept at all Thursday night, if I wasn't stressed from loading Friday, if I hadn't expended so much energy running around and unloading Saturday, I probably would have walked the last five miles without too much trouble at all. I was just exhausted, though. I took a cab home, made some supper, and went straight to bed. Still, the first objective of the odyssey has been met... I have a home. Now I need a job, a phone, a car, and maybe even a girlfriend. |