Changing couch surfers

All of the first week back from Utah I was struggling to catch up on my sleep. I thought I had caught up this past weekend but last night I could hardly get out of bed after almost 9 hrs of sleep. My waking dream was one where I kept thinking I was awake, knowing that it was time to get up, but when I struggled out of bed and down the long hallway to my bathroom the door handle wouldn’t open. Wait a minute, I don’t have a long hallway down to my bathroom and that’s not the right shape of the door handle. I’m still asleep.

And so it went over and over, each time starting over at the bed and doing everything I could to open my eyes. At one time I struggled out of bed in a panic because my eyelids, in spite of my best effort, refused to open. I was standing, leaning on my window sill telling myself not to panic, that the doctors would be able to do something, when I remembered that I do not have a window sill high enough to lean on. By the time I did get my eyelids to open, my heart was pounding like a drum and I was in a total sweat. I have to lay off the melatonin that makes me dream so much.

Fred and Eric (Ereek), my two French couch surfers moved out yesterday to make space for my next two visitors. Of course, living with me had become second nature as we got along so easily. They had lived with me 26 days in March/April and 14 days this month. Their presence had become habitual and although part of me wanted my space back, a large part of me wants them to stay forever. I can be an irritable, territorial cuss at times but then there are some people who I can never be angry with. I had become used to my kettle, iron and certain bowls being put away in new places and somehow that never bothered me. Their presence is more than calming. It seems to alter my very nature, like a stain that fades when constantly exposed to the sun. Even they lamented that the three of us could not find a larger place where we could live together permanently. I can’t receive a higher compliment than that.

They had to move by early afternoon because my next couch surfers were arriving at the airport at 3. I knew it wouldn’t be that easy as they were resisting the move. They had been working most days at the restaurant and yesterday they met with their manager to begin the process to apply for permanent resident papers. When they got home they were more concerned about finding an immigration lawyer than packing.

Their personal belongings had gradually spread to most corners of my condo and they had gradually been acquiring more things as time passed. Once they had their backpacks and other bags packed, I did a quick tour of the condo to gather up things they had forgotten. There were devices plugged into various sockets, hidden under the couch, hanging in the closet and food in the refrigerator and cupboards. Most of these they left behind, along with Fred’s guitar, because they already had more than they could carry. It was also raining heavily, heavier than I had seen it rain in a couple months.

Winfried and Chris, my new German couch surfers, arrived around 5:30. Their plane was late and it took them longer than expected to get through the baggage. The airline had required them to repack their bags to reduce the weight of one of the heavier bags.

That gave me more time to clean. I’m not sure if it was the act of cleaning, the emotions of saying goodbye to the boys or the stress of greeting and responding to new guests that exhausted me so much. It was 3am Cologne time when Winfried and Chris arrived but they seemed to be holding up well. They were excited and a bit confused by the change, but not too tired. After an hour and a half of relaxing and talking we headed out for a sushi dinner at Kadoya, my favourite sushi restaurant. It was a real treat.

I suggested a short walk up Davie St to give the tour of the neighbourhood after dinner, but the first block exhausted their remaining adrenaline and we had to return to the condo. I gave them my room for privacy and comfort while slept on the couch in the living room. Sometimes the noise of the traffic and hooligans on the sidewalks below keep me awake when I sleep there, but not last night!