(Written after I purchased my first major appliance in 2008.)
On Sunday I finished the moving in process with going to Best Buy to buy a washer and dryer. The apartment I am renting doesn’t have a set included but it has a spacious laundry room next to the bathroom so I figured I might as well take the plunge. I thought about buying one on craigslist but I thought about all the unseemly crap people could have washed in those washers and I decided against it. The last thing I want is mixing my stuff with the remnants of someone else’s cum sock.
I did my research on their website and decided on a lower end set, not the cheapest but nothing fancy. After all, my wash is divided between colors and whites, much like the south before the repeal of Jim Crowe laws except without the hatred and lasting bitterness. When I arrived at Best Buy (one of my least favorite stores to shop at) I patiently waited for a salesperson to come over and help me out.
Eventually this young woman full of energy came bounding over to me and I told her what I wanted, she looked at my choices and shook her head and began to lecture me, “You don’t want those, they are so basic. Have you looked at this model yet? It can handle larger loads, it has something like twenty odd settings….”
“Look, these are just for me. I might do three loads a week, if that. Plus I honestly just break my laundry down between darks and whites, I wouldn’t even know what half of those setting do. And I didn’t want to spend a lot just incase I moved in the next year or two and had to get rid of these.”
I felt like I stated my case in a winning fashion, I was ready to purchase and get the hell home so I could do important things like watch TV and put off doing school work. She then came at me with this, “Well what happens if a girl moves in with you or you have a kid? This won’t be enough for you.”
Holy shit! She is totally right, but what about everything else? Is my car a good family car? I don’t think my drawers and cabinets are child proof, not to mention my electrical outlets! Do I have enough room? Plus I am on the second floor, I am going to need a baby gate.
I was just here to buy a washer and dryer and now I am totally evaluating my life. It was a knock out blow, I was starting to consider jumping up and buying the largest capacity washer and dryer because I know washing those clothe diapers are going to be a bitch. Then I snapped out of it, “I don’t see that happening anytime soon, unless you were just trying to make an offer.”
Her face was red, she shut up, and then went to ring me up. To seal my victory I kicked her in the ovaries and crushed her with a Maytag dryer.
However the damage to me was done, I had finally become an adult because I bought a major appliance.
What do you think was the unofficial moment you became an adult?
