My Best Investment – My Son
July 6, 2007 – 7:23 am
There are certain milestones in one’s life that I believe everyone looks forward to and remembers. Most men remember when they bought their first car and they can still describe it in vivid detail. Other momentous occasions include graduating from high school and/or college, meeting your spouse for the first time and buying your first house, just to name a few. Of course all of these pale in comparison to the your wedding day and the birth of your children when it comes to remaining crystal clear in your memory for years after they occur. However, I am in the process of experiencing another – helping my son leave the nest.
One of the many things that I believe makes our country great is the desire on the part of each generation to make a better life for succeeding generations. I remember when I left home at age eighteen. I had been raised on a farm in Western Pennsylvania and my traveling experiences were limited to about a 60 mile radius of my home. I had only been out of state on one occasion – at the age of sixteen I went to Sea World in Aurora, OH . . . for the day. Unfortunately, we had to feed the cattle every night so we couldn’t really leave the farm for more than a day or two. Suffice it to say, I was a bit naive when I headed out into the real world. However, after my initial jump out of the nest, I spent three years in the Army which has a way of maturing a young man relatively quickly. I wanted to make sure that my son didn’t have to learn life’s lessons the hard way as I had done.
Over the course of the last few weeks, we have been preparing for his big move to Chesterfield where he will be employed as a high school Spanish teacher beginning this fall. I had decided to give him the 1996 Honda Accord that he had been driving since high school. Of course, I had to make sure that it was in good operational condition since it might take him a while to find a reliable mechanic. So off it went to the Olde Salem Garage for a complete physical that resulted in the installation of a new timing belt, water pump and oil switch. Tom, my mechanic, also reminded me that the inspection was due in July but the Honda would need two front tires to pass inspection. So next it was off to the Firestone dealer for new tires. Unfortunately, our tire guy said the rear tires were cracked and also needed to be replaced so out came the Visa card . . . again. With four new skins, it was back to the Olde Salem Garage for a new inspection sticker.
With all of the mechanical issues corrected, it was time to make the big title switch so we trooped off for the dreaded trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. We arrived shortly after they opened, waited about 30 minutes and our number was called. We had a wonderful DMV representative who cheerfully changed the title and even arranged for Ricky to keep the custom plates that he has had since we bought the car (RIX RYD). Unfortunately, along with his new status as a vehicle owner came his very own insurance policy which, for a single 23 year old male definitely wasn’t cheap. Of course, he did get a small discount on his auto insurance since he also had to buy renter’s insurance. Don’t put your calculator away yet, we are just getting started.
Fortunately, Craig Sheets, from Vinton Police Department, gave us a used washer and dryer that the previous owners of his home had left behind. After a little cleaning and a can of white appliance paint, they were almost as good as new. Of course now we had to move them to Richmond and, after collecting all of his belongings and stacking them in the garage, we realized we would need to rent a truck. Budget Truck Rental on Apperson Drive won the low bid competition so we rented a fifteen footer for the trip.
On Friday, the load up for the trip to Richmond went well – in fact we could have probably gotten away with the 10 foot truck instead of the 15 footer but at least we had plenty of room for everything. We cleaned up and were on the road by 1100 hours. We had to make a quick stop at the Charlottesville Holiday Inn to meet granddad and pick up the rest of Rick’s things that had been cached at his grandparent’s house after his graduation from the University of Virginia. The rest of the trip went fairly smoothly and upon arriving in Richmond, I parked the truck at my brother-in-law’s house where we planned to spend the night.
Next it was off to Sterling Glen Apartments to sign the lease. Why I thought that would go smoothly is beyond me. When we went to do the walk-through inspection, we realized they had switched apartments on him. Instead of his pool-side bachelor pad, his new apartment would be further inside the complex. They offered a couple of lame excuses for the switch and ended up taking another $5 per month off the his rent. Having few other options at this point, we accepted the deal and headed to Ashley Furniture to begin our furniture shopping. Unfortunately, Ashley had a 2-3 week delivery schedule that wouldn’t work for us, especially for his bed. We headed out to dinner and stopped at one more furniture store before heading home. Unfortunately, they didn’t have what we needed.
The next morning, the unloading process went fine but arranging his sparse possessions provided our first challenge. Among his few pieces of furniture was a fairly large computer desk that we wrestled with moving since we though it would be tough to fit in the apartment. When he put it in his bedroom, we realized that things were going to be a little tight. After extensive measuring and calculating, we determined that the room would still accommodate a queen size bed, chest of drawers and a night stand – just barely! Next came the installation of the washer and dryer. I learned a lesson about the electrical codes from the dryer salesman at Lowes. Apparently, the code changed in 1997 and 220 plugs must have the new four wire configuration – naturally ours had the pre-1997 plug. Out came the Visa card for a new cord. After a quick installation the dryer was up and running. Unfortunately, the new drain hook I had bought for the washer did not include any hose clamps so it was back to Lowes for a couple of hose clamps before I could install the washer.
After unloading the truck, we were back on the hunt for bedroom and living room furniture. We went to Haynes Furniture and found everything he needed. Of course, we had to check prices so we visited two more stores before calling the Haynes salesman and telling him I would be on my way once I picked up the truck. We bought a mattress, box spring and bed frame that I was supposed to be able to pick up. In addition, we ordered a leather sofa and ottoman that would be delivered in about a week.
As you are probably coming to expect, nothing was about to go smoothly with this move. When I went over to pick up the bedding, the warehouse folks said they didn’t have the bed frame I had just bought. After a little frustration and complaining, the manager was able to find a frame for me and I was on my way. In the meantime, Rick and his mom made a Walmart trip to buy sheets and a few other necessities. We met back at the apartment, set up his new bed and it was off to return the truck. Our day was almost done – NOT!
As I was fueling the truck, another customer pointed out that the tank was leaking gasoline. Upon closer inspection, there was a leak where the neck and the tank came together. However, as long as fuel wasn’t going into the tank, it didn’t leak so I just topped it off and headed to the Budget Rental location. We finally got the truck turned in and called it a night at around 2230 hours – Wanda and I at the in-laws – Ricky in his new crib.
We were up early on Sunday and it was off to Walmart for some groceries, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils and bathroom supplies. Next stop – Bed, Bath and Beyond for a comforter, curtains, bed skirt and pillow shams. We also found the perfect television stand so we added it to the list since the Visa card hasn’t melted yet. Back at the crib, we found out that the a queen size comforter doesn’t fit a pillow top mattress so it was back to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a king size comforter. I stayed behind to build the television stand, which went smoothly. The replacement comforter and bed skirt worked well and by the time the bed was put back together, it was time for us to head back to Salem. It was a little tough leaving our only child behind in the big city but I think we have done everything possible to insure that his exit from the nest went smoothly.
I started off trying to keep track of the costs associated with this move but I lost count sometime Saturday. Here’s the deal, I have been hunting for good investments for the last twenty-some years. I was always looking for investments that gave me the best return on my investment. It wasn’t until last weekend that I finally realized that I already had the best investment that would ever find – he had been living in the other bedroom for the last 23 years. Other people can spend their money on new cars and vacations – I would rather put mine in the only investment that guarantees many great returns – my son.