The end of the beginning part 2: Packing the Subaru

It was Saturday, the day before the move. The big things were sold, some things were boxed, but most things were scattered across the floor. We visually sized up the volume of stuff against our Subaru Crosstrek (colloquially known as “Blue”), and decided we needed more space. So we drove to REI to buy a roof top cargo box. Ever aware of our current lack of income, Helen urged Adam to be frugal; but Adam, ever a sucker for well engineered products, wanted to spend the extra $200 for the premium box with a slide lock latching system. “Helen this cargo box could last us 20 years, it’s not the time to cheap out!” said Adam. In the end Helen agreed the slide latch was a good invention and we bought the fancy one. Adam was immediately validated when the salesman complimented his purchase and told him how much the store manager loved his own cargo box. 

With Blue in roadtrip mode it was time to pack up the apartment; but not before Adam finished an ambitious goal of making the world’s dreamiest Lasagna from scratch. You see, Adam had told Helen that we were going on a surprise date on Sunday. The truth is, Adam had planned an even bigger surprise (but we’ll reveal that in part 3). Right now all we need to know is that the Lasagna was important to Adam. As such, Adam labored over a beef-based bolognese supplemented with 4 other meats a couple days prior. On Saturday he made a spinach egg dough from scratch with a creamy béchamel to top it off. To no one’s surprise and Helen’s amusement, Adam’s time estimation was off and it wasn’t until 9:00pm that he finished assembling The Lasagna. It was then that Adam looked at Helen and said “I think we need to finish packing now.” 

By 1:30am most things were still on the floor and being 10:00pm bedtime people we were not at our best. Adam was attempting to keep things organized and would pick up an item, place it in one pile, change his mind and move it to a different pile, only to pick up the same item and return it to the original pile. Around 1am, Helen looked around at the cluttered floor in dismay and said “Ok, let’s get our priorities straight—we need to get everything out by 9:00am for the cleaners.” This is when it hit Adam the goal was not organizing, it was moving. We went into overdrive, tiptoeing all the items through the communal stairwell to the bike room.

Finally at 2:30am Adam conceded that his plans for a last date in SF were not going to happen, as Helen laughed deliriously at the absurdity of our situation. We had so much left to move and no idea how much of it would fit in the car. Helen was laughing so hard we joked she got hit by Tasha’s Hideous Laughter (a spell from Dungeons & Dragons). We brushed teeth, set a 6:00am alarm, and prayed that we’d have enough time in the morning.

Three hours later we got up and finished getting everything out of the apartment and into the bike room. We then eyed our things and giggled manically as we thought “how the hell are we going to fit all this in the car!?” Adam couldn’t believe how much he miscalculated the amount of stuff that you can squeeze into a San Francisco one-bedroom. We went on a walk to get breakfast before the cleaners came and debated U-Haul alternatives. Ultimately we decided to stay the course. 

While the cleaners cleaned our apartment, Adam loaded Blue, flexing his world-renowned car Tetris skills; while Helen floundered about, eliminating replaceable items and converting boxes into packable bags. We fretted over each item and for every item that didn't Make the cut we added it to out pile on curb for a schedule Recology bulk item pick up or a lucky dumpster diver. Eventually, against all odds, we did it. We got everything that was important into a single car with some creative packing and a lot of letting go. 

With the car packed, the apartment clean, and a great feeling of relief that the hardest part was over, we walked back in to our beloved 91 Central Ave to say goodbye. It was 3:00pm, our favorite time of day, known as “sunbeam hour.” The sunlight floods through the large bay windows, creating a perfect spotlight for the surprise of surprises… 

To be continued in part 3…