These numbers -

startlingly bold, painted as tall as ourselves on the entrance wall were perhaps our first physical impression of the apartment we had come to investigate as our first possible cohabitant address...


Looking Back

As I get longer of tooth it becomes harder to remember details of past events. Yet even when I'm lucky enough to remember, or be reminded, of certain facts it is harder to conjure up the emotional fervor of that long ago event. That is a special toxic potion reserved for the moment - and though one can come close when later a smell, a sound, or perhaps a dream dislodge a molecule buried deep in the brain unexpectedly hurtling us through time and space to a sudden exhilarating stop this precious folly soon ends leaving its own sweet hyperlink hard-candy aftertaste - a sweet and welcome confection.

Such a moment presented itself recently on an unsuspecting Saturday, routine as any other of recent Julian regularity. A startling and most welcome e mail jumped off the computer screen in the form of a familiar name and into my throat soon to be joined by my now rapidly beating heart !


Transition

After responding to a newspaper ad Cathy called me at work to say she had located an odd but possibly unique living opportunity and invited me to join her at the location to see for myself. The building was old, and though it had a certain charm, lacked the finish one usually seeks when planning a move. Since we knew nothing of the neighborhood, the owners, or the potential pitfalls, we approached with caution yet in the end either through naivety or a sense of adventure we signed on. We were soon to find out what that decision would mean.

Cathy and I, young and still very much in the adrenaline rush of youth and our unexpected and blossoming relationship gathered our individual belongings and prepared for the next more communal step in the experiment. As we packed, unpacked, and warmed to our new situation we learned a good deal more about the specifics of our surroundings.

A Special Place

We were located in an older Historic part of town in a VERY special building a unique 3 story row-house of 7 sections built Circa 1875. Just a few hundred feet uphill from Rt. 50 within view of the Ohio river, down the hill from the the more affluent part of the neighborhood which included a very scenic park, and we would find out later just a few miles from where we had both been brought home (next door) as newborns in the respective years of our birth.

The house was old and in need of extensive structural repair but the owner Steve had done a great job of maintaining the historic integrity, while updating the living quarters with a contemporary and comfortable feel. In another situation of the typical landlord/tenant relationship (or less) this could have been just another average or even disastrous living arrangement. This place required a special ingredient to make it work, and that ingredient was a VERY special couple, the owners, Steve and Mary.

Though it was their official capacity, to call them landlords would be a gross mischaracterization. They were first and foremost friends, or on any other given occasion perhaps any member of your immediate family you might happen to need, also enablers in the best sense of the word, and finally, it must be said, ringmasters of a strange little circus under a most charming tent in which we were delighted to perform for nearly 4 years.

To be continued...