When we married early in April all those years ago, we called on my mom-in-law, Jane, to pack for us. She was an artist when it came to packing a car. Each item, like jigsaw puzzle pieces had to fit exactly. Rob was more on the order of "cram it in." That style gave a real mishmash and left out many essentials.
Rob was a seminary student and as such was able to work over the summers. College was a tiny, rural school in the Rimbey area. He had befriended another student from Port Moody, B.C. and for his first summer went with Ray to work in the Greater Vancouver area.
We were married in the spring and returned to Vancouver to his same job, night security. We spent a few nights with Ray's family while we looked at apartments in the area.
We first rented a tiny bachelor suite and sparsely furnished it with borrowed items: a double bed, stackable chairs from the church Sunday school rooms. It worked fine as a temporary home. The only downside was that Rob worked nights. The apartment was on the second floor directly over the entrance. Each time the front door slammed, our suite vibrated. Fortunately he slept soundly and wasn't too bothered by it.
What Jane was able to pack into our Volkswagen hatchback was what we had. Clothing, towels, bedding and kitchen paraphernalia; of course books. We were both voracious readers.
I was promised a job as a medical receptionist, one recently made available by Ray's sister. Diane had worked for Dr. Lee for several years and he took me sight unseen and with no resume. Up to that point I had only worked for Dad, cleaning the high school. I found that Dr. Lee's gentle, supportive demeanor eased me into my first job away from home.
Shortly after our arrival Dr. Lee moved to a different clinic, from Port Moody into Coquitlam so we moved too. We reloaded the Volkswagen without Jane's assistance and the Croker household transferred all the borrowed belongings.
Our second home that summer was a one-bedroom apartment in a building situated on a steep slope. We had a patio facing outward; the back of the building faced the hill. There was only brush land beside us and at night we heard raccoons rifling the garbage cans.
Mom and dad came to visit while we were in Coquitlam. I have recollection of a small dining room table being added to our furnishings; Dad must have brought it. He must have returned later to collect it as it certainly didn't fit in our car. The table was circulated through the family for many years. Dave and Judy had it for awhile and we used it again at another series of homes.
It was a simple wooden table with a nice even finish, and an edge with a Greek key decorative trim. It sat four, maybe six at a pinch. We didn't have that many church chairs so it wasn't a problem.
One afternoon Rob came in from parking the car and dragged with him a small sized armchair. Someone who was moving out had left it beside the Dumpster. The upholstery was soiled but with a covering of a spare blanket it served very well for the rest of the summer. When we were moving out to return to Alberta, Rob placed the chair back in its original site next to the Dumpster. Perhaps someone else would make use of it, if they beat the garbage collection. It was surprisingly comfortable.
The idea of moving twice in the five to six months we were in the city had no appeal for me. It should have been a signal; frequent moving was to become a pattern over the years. The upside of that was we weren't prone to gathering excess. Only so much can be boxed and hauled up and down stairs, repeatedly.
