A Very Good Day

“There is absolutely no way all of that furniture and all of those boxes will fit into an 5' x 8' x 7' container!  That’s smaller than our upstairs bathroom!  We should have ordered a bigger container!”  

My husband, however, was sure everything would fit, so we didn't order a larger one, and off to Toronto we went to move all of Justin’s belongings into storage.  He was in Paris, and since we're getting old and decrepit, we felt we needed someone to help us with the move.  On Justin's advice, we had arranged for his 'trustworthy' neighbour Kevin, to assist us.


That night, we slept amidst the dismantled furniture and the many boxes that littered Justin's apartment, and the next morning as we were finishing our breakfast at a local restaurant, the call came.  The container had arrived.  When we saw it, our hearts dropped!  It was way, way too small.  We envisioned having to go back to Toronto with both cars twice, to bring the ‘leftovers’ back to London, to be stored in our basement.  Why, oh why hadn’t we ordered a larger container?  Oh, well…no time for regrets...time to start loading.  

We knocked on Kevin’s door.  Several minutes later, an extremely drunk man appeared.  He smelled like a pub.  The stench of beer (especially at 9 a.m.) was obnoxious.  He was happy…you have to say that for him…a very happy drunk.  What had we gotten ourselves into?  How could this man ever help move heavy pieces of furniture and big boxes?  J.P. and I looked at each other with eyebrows raised.  Our spirits plummeted; they didn’t just drop!!!  “Would you mind if I went to get some smokes?  I’m a smoker,” he mumbled.  “Sure, go ahead.”

When he left, we lamented the fact that we had listened to Justin.  I saw the money that we would have to pay this man, spent on alcohol, and I determined at that point to pay him in kind….he wouldn’t get any money from us!!!  Fortunately, I knew that he needed a toaster oven.  Justin had told me that Kevin kept begging him for his toaster oven before he left for Europe. 

He returned...the fetching aroma of cigarette adding a new dimension to the scent that already permeated his hair, clothes and breath.  “I’m going to steal one thing of Justin’s,” he said.  “His toaster oven.  I really need one.”  I had to tell him, truthfully, that I had taken the coveted item to London the week before.  He held his head in his hands and shook it back and forth.  “OH NO!!!”  he yelled…and again, “OH NO!!!” He was terribly upset.  “But, I’ll buy you one.”  I said.  “REALLY???”  “Yes, when we finish packing everything, I’ll go get you one for helping us.”  “Oh, that makes me so happy!  I haven’t been able to cook well for months!  Mine broke and I only have a little hot plate.”  Poor guy…the things we take for granted.

J.P. and Kevin started.  In the beginning, Kevin fell a few times, almost fell many times, dropped sofa cushions in the middle of the road and staggered continually beneath the weight of furniture.  He dropped a huge box full of shoes in the street. There were shoes everywhere and in the midst of them was J.P., picking them up as fast as he could, as the traffic swerved around him.


Eventually, as the alcohol wore off, Kevin was transformed.  In fact, he was amazing! He displayed a great talent for puzzle solving, so J.P. allowed him to take charge.  Each time they manage to fit a piece of furniture into the container, Kevin would laugh loudly and shake J.P’s hand in congratulations.  There was much laughter and camaraderie between the two.  In the meantime, I was cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! Justin's vacuum cleaner had been appropriated by his friends, so I had to sweep carpets…not at all my favourite thing to do….especially wall-to-wall carpets.

Carpets swept to the landlord's satisfaction, I left and went to get Kevin his toaster oven and some groceries.  When I got back they'd just finished.  They had packed EVERYTHING except two small chairs, into that tiny container.  It was beyond incredible!  None of us could believe it!  I couldn’t stop saying, “It isn’t possible…it’s just not possible! So much furniture and so many boxes!!!  You two are awesome!”  They were so proud of themselves, slapping each other on the back in congratulations, again and again.  Their extraordinary feat was the topic of conversation until we left for London!

I praised Kevin and it was then that he decided he loved me.  He also loved his new toaster oven, of course, exclaiming over and over again just how happy he was and declaring that he couldn't wait to cook something for himself.  I haven’t ever received that many hugs in such a short span of time! “You’re not taking her home,” he kept telling J.P. in between hugs.  “You’re not taking her home.”  By that time, he had just finished imbibing several more bottles of beer in celebration of a job well done, rendering his hugs quite intense!  He didn’t want us to leave….he loved us both so much.  He went so far as to call his good friend to tell her how happy he was and how much he loved us. He then insisted that we talk to her.  It was a bit uncomfortable, but we complied.

I must say, that I quite liked Kevin.  His heart was soft and he so wanted to please.  I told him he would make a wonderful mover…he liked that.  I exclaimed over his ability to figure out where to place each object.  He loved being useful.  We were just about to leave, so it was time for one final hug.  As he was squeezing me in a last vice-like grip, I whispered to him that God could take away his addiction.  He looked at me and said, “But then, what would I do?”  I didn’t have time to answer him, but will, God willing, when we go back to Toronto and take him out for lunch or dinner.

As we were making our way to our car to go back home, Kevin was standing at the door to the house, loudly declaring his love for me.  “I love you!!!!  I really love you!!”  “I love you too, Kevin!”  “Hey, you know what,” he yelled. “What?” I asked.  He shouted, “TODAY WAS A VERY GOOD DAY!”