This post is very special to me. It signifies a big shift, from the past to
the future. From the big city to a
slower pace. Let me describe the moment when I knew that leaving DC for Alabama was the right decision.
Last weekend I enjoyed a
beautiful trip to Washington, DC, to visit my boyfriend. He’s still living there and working while he
looks for a new job so he can join me here in his home state of Alabama. The
visit was picturesque: we walked lazily
beneath the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin; enjoyed long, leisurely
brunches; went to dinner at our two favorite restaurants; and even caught some
live music at the 9:30 club. But, one
moment in particular stood out for both of us.
On Friday night, weather was so mild that we flung his
apartment windows open to listen to the hum of Connecticut Avenue as we drifted
off to sleep. Yet, at 4:30 a.m. we were abruptly
awoken by the sound of a heated argument outside. One man was shouting at another man, loudly
and sternly. It went on for at least
five minutes, and we lay in bed – slightly annoyed, slightly perturbed, and a
little scared – trying to make out what he was saying. It turns out that a cop was shouting to a
severely intoxicated man, “How are you
going to pay this cab?” over and over, like he wasn’t getting the answer
that he wanted. Ah, DC. The land of (otherwise smart and
put-together) twentysomethings getting trashed every weekend in Adams Morgan,
being thrown in a cab, forgetting cab fare for their ride home (or worse,
losing their purse or wallet entirely).
I admit that I have been guilty of lots of debauchery myself. But this incident was different. The man was so disgustingly intoxicated, the
cop was so, so angry. It was all so…. loud.
Eventually the cop carted the man off to
spend what I’m sure was a very enlightening night in jail. And, we tried to go back to sleep.
The next day, we discussed the incident. I said to my boyfriend, “that was the moment when
I knew leaving DC was the right move.” He
agreed. It’s time for us to carve out a
life elsewhere. Somewhere where we can begin
to ponder what it would mean to settle down.
“You should blog about it,” said the boyfriend. So, I did, while sitting in the sunroom of my little house in Montgomery, Alabama, with all the windows open, listening to the peaceful
sounds of the morning songbirds. I am
home.