The Move

The move to Milwaukee started months ago as Kate brought van load after van load of stuff to the Longmont house and as I packed my stuff away in hand-me-down boxes from my grandparents. It ended when Kate and I put Chris and Travis on a plane destined for the west. The in between was full of sacrifice, laughter, and hard work that made the goodbye at the airport hard and the apartment so quiet when we got back. So this is a little bit of the in between, but not all, that belongs to the four of us that shared those four days in and out of the three vehicle train that drove through five states and covered 1100 miles.

Day 1: When renting a U-Haul don’t expect to get the size of truck you want. We reserved a 17-footer. We got a 26-footer. Initially I was so freaked out about maneuvering the beast that I tried to get anything smaller and thought of canceling the reservation. I quickly realized that it would take maybe up to a week for a smaller truck to come our way. I had to drive that ugly, rotten behemoth to Milwaukee…all by myself. As I drove to Allen Drive the truck calmed my nerves. It was slow, jerked when I pressed on the brakes, and smelled of U-Haul, but it moved, and there was a lot of space for our stuff.

Chris, Travis, Kyle, and Rachel were all a huge help later that day when we started loading the truck. We stacked the truck waist high from end to end so things didn’t slip too much. Chris proved he was an excellent packer. No pun intended. Okay…pun intended. The hetero and homosexual punning was perhaps at an all time high for the days to follow.

The 26, the Maxima, and the Regal rolled out of Longmont shortly after 7am on July 3. Our first stop was Ogallala, Nebraska. The truck took $175 worth of gas there. She was getting 8-7 miles a gallon, but cruised really well at 70 mph. We really didn’t know how far the truck was going to allow us to get that day. I was hoping for Cedar Rapids at least, but just outside of Lincoln we realized that we were making much better time than that. We decided to shoot for Des Moines.

It should be said that I was the only driver who had to drive the entire way. We didn’t pay for an extra driver on the U-Haul. So I owned all the miles between here and Allen Drive. However, the person who wasn’t driving at the time always rode with me. I was spoiled by company, so I really had it sort of easy. Chris brought his iPod and FM transmitter, which didn't leave the U-Haul once. He was kind enough to introduce me to Immortal Technique, a Peruvian-born NYC rapper, who has a lot of educating to do through arrogant and angry words. I enjoyed perusing through his lyrics and the rest of Mr. Nicoletti’s fine music collection. There was one album missing from his library though. Luckily, the self-titled Good Charlotte album was in the Maxima, still written onto the Seattle Doulos copy that saw at least 50 spins on that trip. Chris rocked out to that throwback piece of noise a lot.

Des Moines was a great place to stop. Milwaukee was within 400 miles, so we got the big chunk of driving out of the way. Now we just had to find a place to stay. We pulled into a Travelodge and a Baymont. We first went into the sketchy looking Travelodge and got a room quote. We then walked around the corner to the Baymont to get a quote there. The Baymont looked much nicer and wasn’t that much more. We decided to book there. I left the lobby with Travis to walk back to the cars. When we rounded the corner I could see the back of the Regal and Maxima fifty yards ahead of me. Immediately, I was drawn to the Regal. Its reverse lights were on. Holy shit, I thought. Someone is in the Regal. Our pace quickened and the Regal backed out. My heart was really racing at this point. I was so shocked. How could this happen? I even got more scared when I saw the driver was hiding underneath a shirt. The Regal started coming toward us. Travis moved to the side. I didn’t move. I positioned myself right in front of the Regal and decided I would move at the last second possible. This person was not going to get away. The Regal came very close and then stopped. By that point Travis was at the driver’s side window. The driver took the shirt off and I saw Chris Nicoletti behind the wheel. I was drastically relieved, cursed out loud, and congratulated Chris on completely punking me. Chris had sprinted to the cars by way of another route to beat us there. I later found out that Travis’ plan was to ask for directions and then rock the poor bastard behind the wheel with an Irish fist. My plan: block car with body and probably get badly hurt as I fail to move out of the way at the last second. There had to be something there to slow the driver down and I was fine with it being me. That dude behind the wheel was not going to get away with Kate’s car.

I was completely convinced that the Regal was being stolen right in front of my eyes. My heart didn’t stop racing for a while and it was such a rush of emotion that thinking of it even now gets me going.

Day 2: We rolled out around 7:30 on this day. We drove through the rest of Iowa before stopping on the banks of the Mississippi for gas and snacks. After crossing the river we were in Illinois and we were only one state away from our final destination. It was an ideal time to listen to Illinoise. Thank you, Sufjan.

There was only one more memorable stop between the river and our new home, and it was the stop we had to make for Travis before he pooped in my car. While he was taking care of business Chris and I bought Gatorades and a box of Hostess chocolate wax donuts for the home stretch. They were delectable and they gave Chris some gas that festered in the cab of the U-Haul for the next hundred miles. No regrets.

Upon arrival we found our apartment’s A/C to be out of commission. We had no choice but to deal with it being hot and humid outside and inside. It was 87 to 89 degrees in the apartment and hotter outside. The U-Haul truck was parked a hundred yards away from the front door and we didn’t have a dolly. There were many back and forth trips. Kate stayed in the apartment and started unpacking things as we brought them in. She was soon overcome by the huge loads we were bringing in. Boxes started lining the walls of every room.

I was sweating profusely. Chris and I did a few chest bumps/slides that left us feeling, well, queer. We posed for a Mick sandwich picture too. When we got down to the end of the truck we were left with the two couches, the two biggest and heaviest pieces to move. By that point we had moved very heavy loads of boxes, dressers, tables, and desks. We were in desperate need of a break before we took on the big couch, a.k.a. Dirty Girl. A neighbor who had been on his porch almost the whole time we were moving stuff offered us some beers. We gladly obliged and I received the delivery of three ice cold Miller Lites. I took them to the nearly empty truck and we sat in there with our beers that were brewed in Milwaukee. Miller Lite is not typically a favorite of mine, but you can ask Travis and Chris because they will agree, that was one of the best beers we have ever had.

After the rest we took Dirty Girl those hundred yards, through the front door, and up the stairs. Mission accomplished. We only had to move things into place and unpack now. The next two days were intermittently filled with the aforementioned tasks, but we also had a lot of fun. We went out to dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery. We went to a park by Lake Michigan. Travis and Chris leaped into the lake by Oak Creek. We got the A/C working. We shared stories, food, and a toilet. All four of us went bed shopping. Chris and Travis still haven’t narrowed their mattress down, but we have one. It arrived two days ago.

Kate cried when we said goodbye at the Milwaukee airport which, by the way, takes five minutes to get to. I didn’t cry, but it was an emotional goodbye. The move remains unforgettable and the two men we said goodbye to, made it that way. They were a huge help. Who knows? We may call upon you again. I hope you call upon us.