The Moose in the Closet: Framingham: The House, The Fam

I really like Robin’s family’s house. It’s a big farmhouse in the middle of a suburban sprawl. Two floors and a barn attached, very spacious with an old, homey feel to it.

I first visited this place in the summer between my Junior and Senior year in college. Robin and I borrowed her parents’ car to drive up to Ogunquit, Maine, our first destination date. We spent the evening in Ogunquit, got lobster for dinner and had beers and karaoke during the evening. We drove the car back the following day, Robin’s parents weren’t home and we spent the night at their house. Playing pool in the game room and blasting the juke box, it was a good time.

I grew up in a small apartment in Brooklyn. A dining room with a small bathroom and kitchen attached, a living room, my parents’ bedroom, and my bedroom. That was it. When my sister was born she slept in my parents’ room until I moved out – I was 18 and Elizabeth was 7. Robin’s house, by contrast, was a palace compared to our apartment. Bathroom, kitchen, dining room, game room, living room, and computer room on the first floor. Four bedrooms on the second floor. The barn, the storage shed, the large yard, the patio – it’s the kind of place you’d hardly ever see in NYC and when you do see it you’d know it belongs to one of the richest people in the area.

Contrary to the impression the house left on me, Robin was not Ms. Richie Rich growing up. But that’s her story, and it’s probably not my right to tell it. The point is – this house impressed the shit out of me.

Interestingly, my history with Robin’s family is sort of a blur. I don’t remember the first time I met her parents or her brother. I think it might have been a quick encounter at her brother’s lacrosse game but I have no recollection of what was said or how it went. I feel like my memory’s been going, recently, or I’ve been filling my head up with the unimportant shit.

My most prominent memory of Robin’s parents comes from the following summer, when Robin moved down to DC to me. After loading up the truck Robin’s dad told me, “If you hurt my daughter I’ll kill you.” That’s the kind of thing you don’t forget.

I do remember meeting Robin’s sister. The three of us went to Sunset Grill in Boston together. Again, memory fails me and I don’t remember much from the get-together but I’m sure it was fun; I always have fun hanging with Robin and her sister. One thing about Robin’s sister, she always makes me feel younger than I am. She’s only a year older than me and she’s married, has a nice house, and she’s having her second kid today. She definitely has her shit together to the point where I hope to have mine in seven or eight years from now.

It’s always amazed me how some people can actually embrace adulthood. I look at my friends – we’re starting to get married but none of us have any plans for kids or owning houses or moving out of the city or any of that stuff. We’re all still partying whenever we can and wondering where we want to end up and what we want to do. Despite having a stable career that pays me very well I’m still trying to get a writing career going. My best friend’s my age and he’s contemplating moving to Italy for six months to learn how to cook. I get together with my DC friends and we talk about video games or TV shows while kicking back six-packs. I compare that to someone like Robin’s sister (or my parents, for that matter) and I’m just amazed (and admittedly a bit jealous) that someone can be an adult at 30.

Anyway, I’ve definitely gotten closer with Robin’s family over the years, just like she’s gotten closer with mine. And I love this house, even though everyone here goes to bed at 10PM.

Labels: rambling

Framingham: The House, The Fam

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

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