Chapter 10: Move-In Day

North-bound to Northbrook, today is the big day. I’m following my parents on the freeway, they’re in Dad’s Chevy Suburban and I’m driving my Jeep. My vehicle is packed with the parts for my loft bed, my bike and whatever we could fit in. The Suburban is packed with my clothes, a wheel cart dolly and everything else. Mom will drive my Jeep home after we move everything into my dorm.

My parents and I spent the last two days packing. When Mom wasn’t looking, I made sure to hide my entire, courtesy of Dirk, condom collection deep in a box with my clothes. I didn’t want to leave them in my room because I’m sure Mom will do one of her patented deep-cleans later this week.

Mom got a little teary-eyed from time to time, her Baby Boy is all grown-up and heading off to college. I don’t think there is a mother that doesn’t get emotional at this time. Sure, I’ve been away from home before, a few days or a week at most, but never for this length of time. It will be a big adjustment for all of us.

I see my Dad tapping his breaks up ahead, what’s up with that? I look down at my phone on the passenger seat and see that they’ve been trying to call me, I guess I didn’t hear it ring because I was so lost in thought, or maybe it’s because I’m listening to The Ramones so loud, ... oops.

“Hi Mom, did you try to call?”

“We’ve been trying to call you for the last 10 minutes! Why haven’t you been answering?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s a bad cell area?”

Mom must have me on speaker-phone, I hear Dad in the background mutter, “Bad cell area? My ass! Tell him to turn the damn radio down so he can hear us calling.” Like he’s one to talk ... sheesh, he’s always cranking his metal music while driving.

“We want to know if you want to stop for lunch, there’s an exit coming up with restaurants.”

“Sure, sounds great.”

“Okay, we’ll call once we get off at the exit ... And, your father says to turn your radio down.”

“Okay, Mom...”

We stop for lunch at Wendy’s. In the parking lot, I see a few other loaded-down vehicles of parents and students all doing the same thing. It’s Move-In Day at a lot of the universities.

Once we are seated with our food, Dad asks, “So, have you heard back from any of the places you applied for a job at?”

“Yeah, I got a text from the Milverton Marketplace, it’s a grocery store in town. They are looking for a bag-boy/stock boy/clean-up guy. I’m going to meet the manager on Friday”

“Okay, not glamourous work, but it should do. What do you think, Kyle?”

“I’ll gladly take it. I’m lucky to have heard back from any of the places I applied to at all.”

My Mom adds, “But, you have such a great track record from the Pizza Depot, Sweetie. Who wouldn’t want to hire you?”

“It’s not like that Mom; think of all the college students looking for part-time work right now?”

“I guess when you put it that way ... I know you’ll do great.”

Dad looks at the map on his phone, “We should be there in about an hour, then the real work starts.”

“My RA, Adam, told me there will be student aids to help us.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Normally vehicles can’t park in front of Everett Hall, except on moving days. This place is crazy, there are boxes and luggage everywhere on the sidewalks. People wheeling carts are coming and going in and out of the building like busy worker ants. I see some of the Student Aids Adam mentioned would be here with clipboards to assist us finding our way.

I’m about to get the go and see if I can flag down an Aid, when a very cute brunette, with beautiful brown eyes, in a super tight N.U. North-Stars t-shirt sees us. She waves and walks over.

Wowee! My eyes almost pop out of my skull and are immediately drawn to her chest. Talk about an impeccable set of boobs on this girl, they are perfect. My god, the way her shirt is hugging them and accentuating their shapeliness, it’s pretty easy to imagine how tantalizing this matching set must look when they are free of - okay, breathe Kyle, breathe...

She has a nametag sticker above her right breast stating that her name is Rachel. Now, this is the kind of a welcoming committee I like. I hope Mom didn’t notice my little jaw dropping and drooling ogling session...

With a nice big smile, she announces, “Hi, I’m Rachel. Welcome to Northbrook and Everett Hall.”

“Uhhmm ... Hi...” deep breath, “I’m called Kyle ... well just Kyle ... not ‘Just Kyle” it’s only Kyle...”

She keeps smiling and tilts her head patiently letting me stumble over my own tongue ... still smiling and waiting ... is there something more I need to say? Finally, she asks, “ ... And, do you have a last name, Kyle?”

I snap out of my momentary, mammary distraction, “Oh, yes, it’s Stevenson.”

“Stevenson ... Stevenson...” She runs her finger down the page on her clipboard, “Okay, here you are, you will be in Room 415. If you would like to follow me, I can take you on tour and show you to your room.”

“Sounds great.”

Not wanting to stay parked in this hectic space for too long, Dad is already starting to unload the vehicles, “You two go on ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Mom and I follow Rachel towards the building. “I see you brought a bike, good idea, best way to get around as an underclassman.” She shows us a bike rack area that has a small roof overhang, “You can keep your bike locked up here.”

She leads us into the building, we enter a large room with couches, tables, chairs, a pool table and a few televisions. She explains, “This is the Main Floor Common Area, anyone can who lives here can use this space. To the left, is the Building Management Office. If you have any questions or concerns, you should always ask your RA first, the office is only staffed during regular business hours. Do you know who your RA is, Kyle?”

“Yes, Adam ... Bowers or Bowerman or something.”

“Adam Bowman. Yes, he’s great, you’ll like him.” She leads us across the room, “Over here are the vending machines and through these doors is our fitness area.” Rachel shows us a room with weight machines, elliptical trainers and treadmills.

“Ohh ... This is nice, isn’t it, Kyle?”

“Yeah, Mom.”

Rachel motions for us to follow her, “If you come with me, we’ll take the elevator. Your room is on the 4th floor, in the North Wing, the boy’s area.”

“Are the boy’s and girl’s areas separated?” Mom asks.

“Yes, the building is shaped like a great, big letter ‘L’. The girls are in the East Wing and the boys are in the North Wing. There are shared common areas between the wings on each floor like this one.”

“So, what you’re saying is that, other than the common spaces, only boys are allowed in the North Wing, and only girls are allowed in the East Wing?” Leave it up my mother to push for further clarification of this issue and come up with these kinds of questions, talk about embarrassing...

“Yes, Mrs. Stevenson, you are correct. That is this hall’s policy.”

While we are waiting for the elevator to arrive, Mom pauses to look through some brochures and pamphlets in a nearby rack. Rachel must have seen the embarrassment on my face, she whispers in my ear, “Don’t worry, no one ever enforces that policy.”

“That’s good to know, thanks.” I whisper back.

In the elevator, I see there are buttons for a total of five floors. The bell chimes and the doors open to the Common Area on the 4th floor. We step out and are almost knocked over by a couple of guys running around the room, yelling and leaping over the couches. “You’re dead meat, fucker!” the one chasing hollers, throwing a seat cushion at the other guy. It looks like he’s had water or some sort of drink spilled on him.

My mom jumps back, covering her mouth, “Oh my!”

“Guys! Guys! Can we at least try to act like adults here?” Rachel pleads.

They both cease the horseplay and eye her up and down, “Anything for you, Sweetheart.”

It’s amazing to witness the taming effect a pair of perfect breasts in a tight t-shirt can have on a couple of rowdy guys. Rachel says to Mom, “I’m so sorry about that. You know college boys, they can be such children sometimes, can’t they?”

“Umm hmm...” Mom rolls her eyes.

“This is the 4th Floor Common Area. Over by the wall are desks with direct internet hook-ups for laptops if you don’t want to use the building’s Wi-Fi, which, at times, is about useless. Here are a couple more vending machines, great for midnight snacks, and an ice maker.”

She leads us to a door to the right of the elevators, “In here is this floor’s Laundry Room. I have to warn you, it can get pretty busy in here. My trick is to try do my laundry in the mornings.”

“Darn it. I knew we’d forget something, we forgot your laundry soap, Kyle.”

“It’s okay, Mom, I can get some later.”

Rachel leads us to the North Wing hallway, she makes sure to look at Mom and says, “Normally, with me being a girl, I’m not allowed in this area, but today is Move-In day, so it’s okay.” Good way to stem off any more embarrassing questions from my mother, this chick is a pro.

She knocks on the door to room number 401 and pops her head in, “Adam, are you in here?”

“Yes, Rachel, come in.”

She leads us into the room with a single bed and a desk, I guess you get a room to yourself when you’re an RA.

“Kyle Stevenson in 415 is here.”

Adam stands up from his desk, this dude is tall, lanky and looks to be at least 6’, 6”. He holds out his hand, “Pleased to meet you, Kyle, I’m Adam, your RA.”

I shake his hand, “Nice to meet you too.”

“Welcome to Everett. Listen, I apologize, I am totally swamped with incoming registrations right now. Here is your key, Rachel can show you to your room. You can begin moving your stuff up any time. I’ll come check on you later when I have more time with some papers for you to sign. Sound like a plan?”

“Okay, thanks!”

Adam adds, “Oh, and tomorrow, we’ll be having a mandatory floor meeting in the Common Room at 3:00 to go over the rules, any questions you may have and what-not.”

“I’ll be sure to be there.”

We pass a room with some very loud Metallica music blasting out the open door, the long-haired dude inside is rocking-out. He sees us in the hall and flashes us the heavy metal, devil-horns gesture while playing his air-guitar. Mom flicks her thumb in his direction and shouts over the noise, “There’s your father in his younger years.”

Further down the hall, we arrive at room 415, my room. I wonder if Alex is here yet? I unlock the door and see no one inside. It doesn’t look like any boxes have been moved in yet either.

There are two twin-size beds, one on each side of the room, two small desks, each with a chair and two wardrobe type closets. Between the beds, on the far wall, is a window with a heating/cooling unit below it. The room is clean and spartan, but Dad was right, not very big. I can see why a lot of students build loft beds to make more floor space.

Rachel says, “Well, Kyle, here you are, this is your room. I know it looks rather blah and plain right now, but, trust me, once you get your stuff in here, a picture or two on the walls, maybe a nice rug for the floor, it will feel much homier. Do either of you have any questions for me?”

“None, that I can think of,” I shrug.

Noticing that the room does not have its own bathroom, Mom asks, “Where do the boys shower and use the restroom?”

“I almost forgot, thank you for reminding me. We passed the showers and bathrooms at the end of the hall, right across from Adam’s room.”

“And, the boys have their own separate showers from the girls?” Here we go again ... Mom never went away to college, but seriously, what was she expecting? This isn’t a nudist community with everyone running around naked and bathing together. I put my face in my hand. Why are you doing this to me, Mom?

Rachel can’t help but giggle at my reaction, “Yes, you are correct, Mrs. Stevenson.”

“Well, okay then. I can’t think of anything else. Can you Kyle?”

I shake my head, nope.

“I guess we should go down and help your Dad then. Thank you, Rachel.”

“You are very welcome. If you need a hand with any heavy stuff, get one of the guys you see with nametags like mine, they will be happy to help.”

“Here you are.” Dad says, coming in behind us as Rachel leaves to help another new student. “Seeing this room sure brings me back to my college days.”

“And I’m sure the loud music blaring down the hall does too.” Mom adds.

Dad grins, “Maybe a little bit...”

I’m sure glad he remembered to bring the wheel cart, it came in very handy. After about a half a dozen trips on the elevator, we lugged everything up. I have stacked boxes in the hall while Dad and I began to assemble the loft bed. Since I’m the first one here, I get first choice of the beds, I choose the one the right for no particular reason, not that it really matters much anyway, they’re both the same.