My Life with Long-haul - Part 7

Leaving Chicago, Moving Home, and Dealing with a Couch From Hell

Link to previous post in series - Part 6

Wanted to give a shout out that yesterday was apparently International Long Covid Awareness Day!! I didn’t know we got our own holiday! Or, “HAULIDAY” if you will?

Anywho, we left off in the last installment with me receiving awful medical care in Chicago before I moved home, back when we knew even less about long-haul than we do now. And in the post before that, we talked about Kristen and my mom packing up my apartment, and all kinds of friends helping me pack and bringing me supplies and food and such. As well as my landlords being insanely difficult about me leaving, and having to leave my job and all the drama that went down with that.

So now we are up to the point where I was moving home in November 2021. It is crazy for me to think that, as of today in March 2024, I have just scratched the surface of this journey in this series that is already in Part 7. I feel like I have already been through enough by Nov 2021, but it’s like “oh just wait, this is the tip of the iceberg.”

In October of 2021, when I started making the plans to move, I realized I would need a moving truck and movers to get everything home and into storage. Not only did I not have enough time to sell everything before I moved (even though I sold a lot), but I figured in a year I would be ready to move out on my own again, and I would want all this stuff. So, my parents rented a storage unit, and I had to research a moving van and movers to go from Chicago to Carterville, 5.5 hours away.

I started calling around for estimates and was getting quoted around $5-6k. I was beside myself. I had NO IDEA how much these fuckers cost. Yikes!! As I mentioned in a previous installment, in the years following my divorce, I had literally just finally gotten myself out of the hole financially right before I got sick. I was not at a place yet where I had a hefty savings account.

And the 3 months severance I was getting from my job, which was HEAVILY taxed, was what I was counting on to keep me afloat for the next 6 or so months while I wasn’t working. I wouldn’t have rent, but I still had a car payment, insurance, cell phone, and some other odds and ends. If I used my severance to pay for this moving truck, I would not have enough left to get by during my period of unemployment (which I anticipated to be 6-7 months. hahahahahaha!!!)

I talked to my parents, and with some things going on at that time, it was going to be tough for them to help me with that. ***Edit - I have now, finally, been given permission by my dad to disclose what was going on at that time. My dad had stage 4 lung cancer, and was dealing with a lot of medical bills. Additionally, he is a self-employed freelance writer and had to cut way back on his work since he was so sick. Meaning a lot of money was going out and not rolling in at that time.***

I kept calling around and finally found a place to do it for $3k. I thought, ok, I could cover 1k without it causing too much trouble. My parents said they could cover 1k. And then I had the idea to see if I could get the other 1k donated.

This made me INCREDIBLY uncomfortable. I had never asked for donations for myself before. I just felt guilty asking. I felt I should have done a better job saving. I should have been smarter with my money. I shouldn’t have taken vacations in previous years. I shouldn’t have treated myself to that designer bag earlier in the year when I got a stimulus payment, before I knew I would get sick enough to move home. There was so much talking down to myself and lecturing myself about what a failure I was at money and being a grown-up. Not only was I devastated to be losing my empire as I knew it, but I was laying massive guilt on myself for crowdfunding a thousand bucks for a moving van.

But, I fought past it, put on a brave face, and took to social media to let my friends know what was up. I wrote a really long and detailed post explaining everything and being super transparent. At the time, I wasn’t allowed to share ***edit - that my dad had cancer (because he was being very private about it when he had it, and asked me not to share that) and *** that I was receiving severance. So, instead of calling it “severance”, I called it “savings”. Because, essentially, I was going to be using it like my savings. I needed it to live off of the next few months. But other than that, I was really open about every detail of what I needed and why I needed it. I explained the van was $3k, but that if I could get help with $1k, then I could cover 1k and my parents could cover 1k.

I posted it, winced, and shook it off. A few mins later, my phone started dinging left and right. PayPals, Venmo’s and Zelles were coming through in droves! So many friends were sending money and such positive kind messages. I checked the FB post and so many people were sending so much love, help, and support. I couldn’t believe it. I was so overwhelmed with these loving vibes and even as I write this, I am crying thinking about it.

It wasn’t even the money itself, it is the fact that people wanted to help. That people cared. Friends were saying such loving things, and I felt SOOOO much better about having asked for help. It was a huge step towards me feeling more comfortable being truly vulnerable about all of this, and feeling like people cared and accepted me. It felt really validating.

Donations anywhere from $10 to $300 a person were coming through. I couldn’t believe it! People that don’t even know me all that well were sending like $50 to $100. I started feeling guilty again. What had I done to deserve this? Why did people want to help? I hadn’t done enough for them for me to be deserving of this kind of help. It was such a confusing couple of days. Feeling really scared to put myself out there and ask for help, feeling guilty that I couldn’t afford it myself, feeling overwhelmed with so much love and support from so many people, and then feeling like I hadn’t done enough to deserve it. Clearly, I still had work to do on my self-esteem and issues with money.

I hit $1k pretty darn quick. I made a new post letting people know that I had what I had asked for and I appreciated the help. But, people kept going and my phone kept dinging for a few days. They wanted to get me the whole $3k. So, I think within 2 days I had $3k. I could not believe it. I really couldn’t. So, I posted that I hit the goal, I didn’t need any more, and of course expressed all of my gratitude. I also sent messages to everyone expressing how much I appreciated it. (Little did I know, I had some evil eyes watching, judging, and resenting me this whole time. But, that story is for another day.)

Even though I told everyone I had what I needed, people kept sending it. I messaged them when they did and told them I had the $3k and offered to send their donation back to them. But, they insisted I keep it, and said that moving was expensive and they were sure I would end up needing it. They were right. I didn’t take into account that you are supposed to tip movers. They sent 4 movers and I was able to tip them all.

I also didn’t take into account how many supplies I had to go out and buy (even though so many people bought me supplies, I needed so much more than I even imagined. Packing tape goes fucking fast and ain’t cheap! LOL). And, at this point, I can’t even recall all the specifics of all the charges that added up when it came to this move. But, suffice it to say, every penny of what I was sent (and then some) went into that move and I am so grateful to this day.

Well, actually, I do remember one unexpected expense, and it leads me to the next hurdle in this story. My GD couch!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, it’s moving day. My mom has been with me for about a week, and helping me with all the final tasks. I moved the Monday after Thanksgiving, so we spent that Thanksgiving together in my apartment eating Popeye’s. I have sold all of the furniture I am getting rid of, and the rest will be loaded on the truck. Except the couch…

Lets jump back in the timeline here, shall we? It’s 2015. I am living in a bed-bug infested apartment. It has been infested for 1.5 years and has given me PTSD for life. I am finally getting out of this bug-ridden apartment. I have to throw away all of my cloth furniture, so as not to bring the bed bugs with me. So I have to buy all new furniture. The apartment I am moving into is bigger, and has a HUGE living room (huge for a Chicago one-bedroom apartment.) This living room calls for a big sectional couch. I need it to take up a lot of the space, and it will be perfect for having people over, and people can sleep on it when they visit.

Started shopping for sectionals, and those fuckers are a couple thousand dollars minimum. FUCK! 2015 Krista is still in major debt, and JUST started her new corporate job a month ago. I can’t afford this. But, wait a minute, this furniture store has a back room with heavily discounted clearance furniture. AND OMG WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT??!!! The exact couch Krista had been dreaming of. The perfect shade of dark gray she was looking for, so freaking comfy you wouldn’t believe it, and it is HUGE (that’s what she said)!!! Took the measurements…OMG it will fit 100% perfectly in the space (also that’s what she said). It was meant to be!!! And, it was so freaking cheap she thought she was dreaming. So, Krista bought it, and scheduled it to be delivered when she moved into the new place. (sorry I am talking in 3rd person, just feels right)

Delivery day arrives. The sectional comes in 3 pieces. The delivery guy can fit two of them in the elevator going up to Krista’s 10th floor apartment. However, the third section…does not fit (that’s what she said?). Krista says, “ok, well let’s put it in the freight elevator then.” After all, she had literally never been to a high rise in Chicago that didn’t have a freight elevator. But, she had managed to choose the only building that didn’t have one.

There was zero way to get this couch up to her apartment. So, they took it back to the store, and she lamented losing the perfect dream couch. She wondered how she would afford another sectional when she had never seen one this cheap. She had her heart set on a sectional that would actually take up space in this room and could sit all of her future guests (and that her mom would sleep on every time she visited her - 10 times a year, for 10 days at a time *insert eye roll here*).

Krista calls the furniture store and talks to the sales lady about it being sent back and asks if there are any other couches like it in a similar price range that have smaller sections that will fit in the stupidly small elevators in the only high rise without a freight elevator (*insert another eye roll here*). Then the sales lady blows Krista’s mind. The next cheapest sectional is so much smaller and so much more expensive, BUT there is this service where someone cuts the furniture in half, and then puts it back together in your apartment. And, this service costs $200. This is still by far cheaper than the next cheapest sectional. Ok, let’s do it.

Let’s take a break here and address two questions my readers may be having:

1 - Why couldn’t I just buy a cheap used couch? A couple of answers for this one. a - I HAD JUST LIVED WITH BED BUGS FOR 1.5 YEARS. Chicago’s BB problem was OUT OF CONTROL at this time, and I can’t stress enough how much PTSD I had from this experience. I was not chancing any used furniture with the possibility of BBs living in them. b - I had spent my entire adult life collecting used furniture on Craigslist and I was 32 years old, had a nice new fancy job, a nice new fancy apartment, and I was ready to level up! NO ‘RAGRETS’.

2 - How on earth does someone cut a couch in half and put it back together? I actually still don’t know. I didn’t see them do it. I was at work and my mom was there when they came and did it. She tried to explain it, but I couldn’t even begin to try to explain it. I think it is magic.

Ok, so I have the couch of my dreams. And I decide not to worry about what will happen when I move out someday, because I plan on being here for a while, and that is a problem for another day. I was there for 6 years, and that sectional served me well for every day of that 6 years, except the last one.

When I moved the couch in and had someone cut it, one of the doormen at the building told me that they could’ve also run it up to my place on top of the elevator. I could reserve the elevator, hire a guy to come out, and he could do something special to put it on top of the elevator. It was my understanding that the reason it hadn’t fit was because it was too long (yup, you guessed it, that’s what she said). The ceiling was too low in elevator. But, if it got moved on top of the elevator, then height was not an issue. This elevator guy cost $400. I figured, well I saved $200 doing it the way I did. But, this is good info to have when I move out. Cutting it in half and putting it back together does weaken it’s structure. So, it would be good to move it on top of the elevator when it leaves the building.

Back to 2021, when it came time to move, I posted it on my FB and charged $400 for it (which was a STEAL cause it was in great shape). I said I was only charging the amount it would cost me to get it out of the building. A friend of a friend immediately scooped it up. We coordinated that she would hire a moving truck and movers on the day that I was moving out, and my movers would take it out to her movers. I scheduled the elevator guy to come that day. It was quite a logistical feat.

My movers show up on time, which was early in the morning. First thing’s first, I tell them we gotta get this couch ready to go. They start doing their thing. They get the first two smaller pieces outside in the elevator. The elevator guy runs about 40 mins late, which compromises the whole time flow I have happening. When he arrives, he is the biggest jerk I have met in a long time. (My 4 movers were the sweetest boys you could ever meet.)

Before the elevator guy gets there, my movers get to the big piece, and it is so big it won’t fit through my door. At this point, the couch buyer’s moving truck shows up on time, and is waiting outside. I am communicating with the girl who bought it, she is communicating with the movers she hired. My movers are slowly squeezing it through my door frame but it is taking forever (I never knew it was also too wide for the doors, since it had been cut before, and never moved in and out as a whole piece.)

As they are pushing it through, they then realize that it is too long to get it into the narrow hallway and pivot out my door, if that makes sense? So, it becomes necessary to open the door of my neighbor across the hallway to give the movers some extra length to get it out of my apartment.

This neighbor is an elderly lady who has been in the hospital for a couple of months. But, the doorman had a key to her place because he took care of her cat for her while she was in the hospital. He comes up and unlocks and opens her door, and they get the couch in the hallway. This whole process takes about 30 or more minutes. This whole time, I am texting updates to the buyer, she is texting to her movers, who are waiting in my alley. They have a job after hers, we are running about 45 mins behind at this point, and running out of time before her movers need to leave.

We get it to the elevator and now it is too long to get it in there (do I need to say it again?) unless we open the door of the apartment directly across the elevator. I don’t know this neighbor, and they are at work. I call the maintenance guy. He comes up and begrudgingly unlocks and opens their apartment door, and then it has enough room to start trying to push it in the elevator. The whole time the elevator guy is just standing there, doing nothing and being the biggest jerk, and my movers are being so sweet and trying so hard.

After probably 30 mins of trying to get it on the elevator, it is apparent it’s just not going to happen. And the buyer’s movers have to get to their next job. And I am having the biggest freaking breakdown in the history of the world. I was sooooooo stressed. UGH!

Ok, so if you are doing the math, I believe my movers probably worked on this for about 1hr and 15 mins, the other girl’s movers waited about 45 mins. And the elevator guy was there for about 30 mins and did nothing. The couch never made it onto the elevator, which was the part where he would have had to do something, but we didn’t get that far. So the elevator guy showed up 40 mins late, did nothing for 30 mins, and was just saying rude things to the movers and me most of the time. So, and I think this was MORE than fair, I offered him $200 of the $400 for this job. He started yelling at me about it and I started yelling back. He called his supervisor and his supervisor was like “dude, yeah, that’s fine. Just leave it alone.” So he left in a huff.

Then, I refund the buyer the $400 she paid for the couch. And since she had to pay a mover/truck that didn’t end up getting used, I reimbursed her $100 for that. So, $200 to elevator guy plus $100 to her movers, means I am in the hole $300 dollars now. (Her refund of $400 is even stevens.) THEN, in order to get the couch out of my apartment, just because it needs to be moved out and I am trying to be nice to my landlords and not leave it for them to deal with (even though they would have deserved it since they were SO AWFUL to me about having to break my lease - which I wrote about in Part 5 I think…??), I have to call the person who can cut it.

I call the furniture store I bought it from 6 year prior. They give me the name of the place that does it. I call them and beg them to find a way to send someone to me to do it today, within the next two hours. Somehow, they make that happen for me. And I pay him $200 to demolish that section of the couch. Now, I am $500 in the hole. And I carry out pieces of this couch to the dumpster. Devastating. I had loved this couch so much. Ugh.

So, yeah, you could say the extra money I got in donations for the move helped out. Mover tips, packing tape, and putting my GD couch in the dumpster. This is just one of the MANY examples of how I always learn my lessons the HARD way.

Please don’t forget that, at this point in time, I am dealing with my symptoms when they were at their absolute worst. I felt so exhausted, defeated, and stressed all at the same time. The movers finish up their stuff, and me and mom finish up all the odds and ends that need to happen. Then, I had hired a friend to come do all the move-out cleaning that the landlords require. She came after I left. There is no way on Earth that I would have even come close to being capable of doing all that move-out checklist cleaning. My mom did what could be done in the days leading up to moving. But, the stuff that had to wait until everything was out, I paid $150 to my friend to do it. Yup, I definitely spent more than what was donated to me.

Well, now that we are out of the apartment my Toyota Rav4 is packed to the absolute brim, my cats Jojo and Thomas are laying comfortably in their beds in the backseat, and my mom is in the passenger’s seat completely covered in boxes—now, it is time to drive 5.5 hours home. AAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!

Well actually, first, we had to drive all the way across the city from the east side to the west side to return my modem to RCN. So, that adds an extra hour to the trip. So, 6.5 hours. But, before we drive to RCN, we haven’t had anything to eat yet, and it is about 3pm. So, we stop by the Sonic near my old apartment before we head to the other side of town.

At this point, it is worth saying I had gone through somewhat of a Sonic phase in my last year there. And I may or may not have, but definitely did, become acquainted on a first name basis with one of the Sonic drive-thru girls named Amber. When I heard her voice on the speaker, all I had to say was “Hi Amber! It’s Krista! How are you? I will have the usual.” She would excitedly said hi back and put in my honey bbq popcorn chicken order.

So, I was hoping that on my last visit to this Sonic ever, that she would be there. And she was. I told her I was moving and I would miss her. She said she would miss me too. I told her I was actually ordering something different today, and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, and so did my mom. Me and Amber said our goodbyes at the window. Then my mom and I pulled into a parking spot, let out the biggest collective sigh of relief ever, and tore into our burgers. And when I tell you a Sonic cheeseburger has never tasted better to anyone in the history of the world, believe me.

Then I begrudgingly made the hour long journey across town to RCN to drop my internet equipment off. So, we got there about 4:30ish I wanna say. And we left about 4:45 and started heading home. Because we were on the other side of town, it required us to take a different way out of the city than I normally would have. And we hit the part where you see the entire skyline ahead of you around 5pm, as the sun was setting.

Simultaneously my mom and I gasped as we caught view of this. We both were stunned at how incredibly beautiful it was. I wasn’t used to seeing sunsets living on the far east side by the lake. And this particular one was more beautiful than any I had ever seen in the city. The way it shone and reflected on the buildings, and the bright pinks, blues, purples, and oranges in the sky were breathtaking. We both agreed it felt like the city’s way of saying good-bye, thanks for the good times, and you are going to be ok.

Five and a half hours later, me and the cats were home. I fell into the bed in my brother’s old bedroom, which was now my new room, and I didn’t get out of it for the next 3 days (except for going to the bathroom, obviously you pervs). My cats curled up next to me. And we just slept for several days.

In the next installment, I’ll get into life back in my old hometown and living with my parents again. I am finally in Carterville in my story y’all! It only took me 7 installments to get there!

Now, you may be thinking, “Krista, for a post about long-haul Covid, you sure did talk a lot about a couch.” Yeah, I did. It was a huge part of my journey, and I promised you the WHOLE truth. See you next time. It’ll be more about long-haul, and less about a couch. Probably.

Link to next post in series - Part 8