Chapter 17

Shelly decided to leave the tape at home while she and Adam caught the bus to campus. Sean drove Rachelle to her father's place and she returned with a large van.

She took Allie and Sarah over to Sarah's place – about 30 minutes away – to start boxing and packing things. They brought the first load over about the time Mary and Walt arrived at 11.

Walt groaned but helped Sean unload boxes and take them into the girls' apartment. The van was empty when Adam and Shelly arrived a little after noon.

The pair walked up to see Mary and Rachelle talking with Allie and Sarah.

"Ladies," Adam said with a bow.

"And he uses that term loosely," Shelly joked with a nod toward Mary and Rachelle.

Mary scoffed and started to respond but Allie interrupted.

"I heard you got a peep show this morning," she joked.

"Bottomless Revue," Adam said with a laugh. "If she hadn't pushed me out the door, I was going to tip her a five spot."

"Whoa, Big Spender," Allie joked. "We've almost got all of Sarah's stuff over. The only thing left is her furniture."

"But there is a slight dispute that you might be able to moderate," Mary said. "Sarah's stuff is a lot nicer than what you guys have. But it's not as nice as Allie's things. She wants to just give it to you for your help. We think you should buy it off her."

Adam looked to each of the women in turn.

"And why do you think I should be the one to make this decision?" Adam asked warily. "I mean, if it were me, which it is most surely not, I would not give it away. It is nice, Sarah. I'm sure it cost a pretty good amount when it was purchased."

"It did," she admitted. "But not by me. My boyfriend's mom bought it for us. So it's really not mine to sell."

Adam nodded.

"But he also left you without paying the last month's rent and with the rest of the lease to deal with," Rachelle pointed out. "Plus, has he asked for it back?"

"Well, no," Sarah said. "His Mom just said to keep it."

"So it is yours to sell," Mary pointed out.

"Got you there," Allie said as she poked her friend in the side.

OK, then it's also mine to give away then," Sarah answered. Allie poked Mary in the ribs as she had Sarah.

"Got you there," she said with a laugh.

"You're no help at all," Mary told Allie.

"Hey, I told her whatever she wants is cool with me," Allie pointed out. "In fact, if she doesn't want to put in storage, we can use the third bedroom as a lounge."

"It is much nicer than what you guys have," Sarah said. "We're not paying you labor. We tried but everyone just laughed at us."

"Walt probably wants to take it out in trade," Shelly said with a broad smile to indicate she was joking.

"Those two might be the nicest guys I've ever met," Allie said quickly. "Not once has either of them made a rude or demeaning comment about anything."

"Just playing there, Spitfire, cool your jets," Shelly said. "I know those guys are the best. The joke was probably a lot funnier in my head."

"It must have been," Sarah said. "Because I didn't find it very funny either."

"Jesus Christ," Mary muttered. "The Mutual Admiration Society is in full session."

Adam laughed.

"They've been on their best behavior, I'm sure," he said. "But once they get to know you a little better, they'll be as rude and as crude to you as we are."

"You are not rude or crude either," Sarah pointed out. "My landlord wanted to take the rent out in trade. I know rude and crude when I see it."

"Good point," Mary said. "Anyway, back to the furniture. Don't you think you guys could use it?"

Adam looked to the sky and pondered.

"It's like this, Mary," he said. "I don't want to sound rude and I don't want to seem like I'm demeaning Sean or Walt. I'm not. The simple fact is Sarah's things are nicer than ours. But that is mostly because we don't give a rat's ass about what the furniture looks like. I sat on her couch for 45 minutes or so. It is comfortable. But so is that piece of shit we already have. My suggestion is this: Neither Walt, Sean nor I care about what the furniture looks like. You, Rachelle and Shelly do. Buy it from her, let her give it to you or beat her up and take it. But if you want to buy it, I would suggest you don't ask us to pay for it. Because that isn't likely to happen, at least not out of my pocket."

Rachelle and Mary exchanged glances then looked at Shelly. Shelly shrugged as Adam wandered off to find the males of the group – which he didn't because they had driven to a sandwich shop to pick up lunch for everyone.

Adam pigeonholed them when they returned before Rachelle or Mary could grab them to plead their case. Both just agreed with Adam: Neither cared about furniture in the slightest and neither of them had paid for what they had.

The couch and chair had come with the apartment. The last tenants hadn't taken it when they left, so Walt and Sean appropriated it. The kitchen table and chairs were set out for the garbage by another tenant and found their way into the apartment. The beds had been included because few college kids have beds of their own.

The discussion was still raging when Adam, Sean and Walt appeared, food in hand. It didn't abate with their arrival.

"What about kitchen stuff?" Rachelle asked. "These guys have a couple of skillets and a pot. I don't think it even has a lid."

"It did once," Sean said with a laugh. "We tried skeet shooting with a BB gun last summer. We have a pizza pan we use as a lid."

Mary rolled her eyes. The guys usually did the cooking. It was their apartment, after all. So they alternated fixing things or they fixed for themselves. There were only one or two nights each week when the whole group dined together.

"I have everything," Sarah said. "But we want to see what we can use here before we pawn it off. The microwave I'm keeping. It's nicer than Allie's."

"Which it turns out was stolen from a pawn shop on our way out of New Hampshire," Allie lamented. "It works, but it can't be sold."

Only Adam found this amusing. His life of petty thievery was short but lucrative in his preteen years. He managed to steal a tractor belt, two balls of twine and a radiator cap before his dad had caught him and tanned his ass for him.

"OK, I'll take $200 and your old furniture for my couch, chair, love seat and entertainment stand," Sarah announced. "We'll put the old furniture in the lounge or give it a decent burial at sea, whichever is appropriate. Will that settle it?"

Rachelle and Mary, despite Adam's warnings, looked to their boyfriends. Shelly firmly planned to be moved into Allie's apartment with Adam before too much longer, so she just sat mutely.

"Don't look at me," Walt said. "I don't think we need new furniture. I like what we have and the price was right."

"I agree with him," Sean said. "If you want it, you can buy it. I mean, you'll be living there, too. But I'm fine with what we have – and with using a pizza pan for a lid."

"Damn you," Mary said to Adam thought narrowed eyes.

"He warned us," Walt said. "But the answer would be the same even if he hadn't. We've survived in that apartment for two years now with what we have. Just because you're moving in doesn't mean he and I need to spring for upgrades. You both have your own money."

Sarah broke the tension with a good-natured laugh.

"So, now are you interested in having me give it to your for services rendered?" she asked Mary.

"No," Mary replied. "I'm still not interested in that. I'm just wondering when I lost that firm grasp I used to have on my boyfriend's manhood."