Best memory ever…

If someone were to make a movie out of your life, which episodes would you include? Of course the big moments, right? Senior Prom, College graduation, first real job, first vacation in an exotic land… Anything else? Yes, of course, you would put in some amorous moments too, wouldn’t you? The first kiss, the first boyfriend, the first fight, the first make-up, the first this, the first that, of course, maybe deciding whether or not you want to get married, have kids… Is that all?

I believe that the most important moments are the ones that seem pointless to anyone else but priceless to you. For A and me there are some moments neither of us wants to put a price on. The moments that define us, who we are in good and in bad times, the moments when through a small instance, life changes forever.

This moment is one of the most wonderful ones, that if someone were to make a movie about us, I would want them to include – above anything else – this moment. It was in February 2010, we have been dating for about a year and I was visiting A that winter for spring break. It was a long winter for the east coast, NY and PA have been snowed in for days, schools were closed, roads were closed and there was absolutely nothing to do at or in the house. After a few very long days the weather finally cleared and we were able to go out again, go grocery shopping (thank you 7/11 btw for keeping your doors open in those horrific – not suitable for driving – days and providing us with the most delicious ice cream and cookies, we basically lived of that for days).

A and I didn’t really have a set schedule as far as laundry went, we would go when ever we felt like it, it rather seemed like a ‘what are we doing tonight? – nothing! – laundry?’-activity. Since A didn’t own a washing machine this meant using the laundromat down the street. This laundromat is the ghetto of all laundromats, if something like this were to exist. The machines were outdated, reeked of weird stuff and half of the machines were not even in the slightest usable and if they were, your laundry would come out dirtier than it went in. However having the laundromat so close to the apartment meant we could always just pop in the laundromat, drop our stuff off and then come back when ever the machines were done. So there was a (single) good side, to living so close to the laundromat.

Naturally though, A and I were thrilled when we found out that there was a new laundromat opening up their doors a short drive away from our home (we could also walk but then again, all the ice cream and cookie weight didn’t want to exercise, it preferred to drive…). They had the NEWEST machines, so new, they would actually get your stuff clean and the driers would actually get your stuff dry in a matter of minutes. But since it was a bit of a walk to our apartment, this also meant we would have to basically guard our stuff at the laundromat, while waiting for it to finish.

I believe, the sacrifice we made, was an easy one, wouldn’t you say? Clean and dry laundry and having to wait for 3 hours versus cleanish and dryish laundry but being in our apartment. But wait a minute, am I really babbling on and on about washing machines and dryers? How is this the best memory ever? There has to be more to this… Yes, there is.

One afternoon, A and I earlier declared that evening as laundry evening (I was just waiting for him to finish up work and come home while preparing some chocolate pudding), he texted me, ‘on my way home, stopping by at the liquor store’. Now I was a wee bit puzzled by this, why would he get wine on a Wednesday night when we are supposed to have some leftover (fill in your favorite type of junk food) and go to the laundromat? I figured he forgot and wanted to cook something exotic with a special type of brandy or whatever (I am a better eater than a cook, mind you).

I was finishing up my ‘cooking’, occasionally snatching a spoonful and enjoying the most delicious chocolatey pudding mankind has ever made (I’ve got the best and easiest recipe ever, if you are curious… ;)) when A stormed up the staircase. I got everything pre-sorted for the laundromat while A worked around the kitchen, he reappeared with two thermos and a plastic bag without telling me what was in either. We then took the short drive to our new beloved laundromat, popped our laundry in a free machine (there were so many to choose from…), splattered half a gallon detergent in (which I guess in a clean washing machine was kind of unnecessary…) and sat down facing the machines. We were almost the only ones at the laundromat, only accompanied by the humming and washing sounds of the machines.

A then handed me a thermos, a little container and a spoon and said, ‘here is to our awesome lives together’. I tilted my head and was wondering what he was talking about, but the thoughts quickly faded. We spent the evening enjoying a nice thermos of wine and savoring some chocolate pudding out of tupperware. We giggled and talked and spent the entire evening just being and it was as if for a short moment we stopped the outside-crazy-having to multitask all my chores at once-world when in fact we were doing our household chores in a tiny little place somewhere in PA, while enjoying each other’s company. For a short moment, this particular laundromat became a piece of heaven.

I know it’s not a grand gesture, not super heroic and not an unforgettable moment, however it was a moment we shared together and when you think about it, who would you want to sit next to, while waiting for your laundry to finish, if not your best friend, your significant other, the most important person in your life? If you ask me, this is priceless and yes, the best memory ever.