A friend of mine suggested I write down some memories. It could be helpful and might be nice for my little girl to have a place to read some stories and hear our tale. I will do my best and I can not fail.
1998 Des Moines, Iowa. I just moved to a brand new state to start pharmacy school. I was 24 years old, my first time living on my own. I lived in an apartment, not on campus, as a matter of fact it was in a not so great neighborhood on the East side of Des Moines. I did not know a soul living in Des Moines. I was so lonely and homesick it wasn't funny. It was July and it was hot and humid. I found a $1 movie theater I went to pretty regularly just to sit in the air conditioning. My apartment did not have that luxury.
I had my own apartment, student loans to apply toward tuition, scholarships to help with expenses, a pharmacy tech job I was able to transfer with my company and I needed to open a new bank account because my bank back home did not have branches in Des Moines. When I arrived my car was out of commission for a week because the transmission failed during the move. My new checks arrived for my new checking account; however I did not receive them, they were stolen and money was missing out of my account, which did not have much to start, I did mention I was a student right. I did have money coming in with hours at the pharmacy; however the pay is not the same in Des Moines as it is in San Diego. In California I was making just over $10 per hour, that was reduced to the Des Moines rate of just over $7 per hour. I was not made aware of this adjustment until my first shift at the pharmacy. What a beginning to my new independent life. It was OK, because I still had a job, a scholarship that would cover my rent for the year, and I would be starting school soon. It all worked out.
Before classes started I explored my new city. I took a walking tour of Des Moines, walked all over down town and the capitol complex. Things that caught my attention was the lack of different languages spoken. Back home I heard all different languages and saw all different cultures represented in my neighborhood & school. There was also no Starbucks in Des Moines, completely foreign to me, I come from a place where there were 12 Starbucks with in a 3 mile radius. My first trip to the grocery store on my own was interesting. I got all my shopping done, unloaded my cart, paid for my groceries and the nice young man bagging my groceries took my cart away. I asked the checker where he was going she looked at me as if I was from another planet, and said he would meet me outside because he was bringing my groceries to my car. I had lots to learn.
About a week before school started, this would be August, I went to the orientation on campus and after I decided I would try the coffee shop on 42nd & University very near to Drake's campus: Friedrichs World Coffee. I walked in, ordered my vanilla latte (my usual drink) and was helped by a very nice man. And that is the first time I ever laid my eyes on Richard, then he was Rick.
I will stop here for now and continue my story another time. No tears, this feels good.
Good night handsome man. Love you.
take care,
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