As the spring semester of our Sophomore year came to a close, we decided we couldn’t spend the summer apart. We began searching for inexpensive summer sublets in Boston. While we would have loved to find a cute little apartment for the two of us, I was troubled by the obvious potential for upsetting our families.* We decided on separate apartments, just across the street from each other, on Commonwealth Ave. Now we just needed summer jobs to pay for rent, grub, and leisure.
I planned to continue working at the School of Nursing, where I had worked throughout the school year. The pay wasn’t great but I liked the people and it was convenient. Picture me riding my red Huffy ten-speed along Commomwealth Ave. towards Boston College. I would jump off my bike, lock it up in front of the gym, and race up the longest set of continuous stairs ever. I would arrive for my office job doing clerical work, gasping for breath. The girls I worked with would ask all about “my man” and beg to meet him. I took Calculus that summer and conveniently had Duff available as my private tutor. It still baffles me to this day, how he made sense of it all! (The Calculus, that is!)
Even then, Duff was never satisfied with mediocrity. He found a job working in downtown Boston for triple what I was making on campus. He bought some nicer clothes and traveled into Boston everyday on the ‘T’. Duff loved being able to read a good book as he rode to and from work. He loved exploring downtown on his lunch breaks and trying different ethnic foods. He often did a little shopping as well, and would come home with interesting purchases. I can remember him arriving home one day, hiding behind a giant bouquet of roses. He really was the sweetest.;)
The summer of ’93 was a fairytale summer in so many ways. We spent every moment we could together. Grocery shopping that summer was an adventure. We weren’t conveniently located near any grocery store. So we would hop on the ‘T’ and head up a few stops to the closest Star Market. We had to walk a few blocks from the train stop to get our goods. This was fine going out, but coming home we would be trying to carry a month’s worth of groceries. Our fingers would lose sensation and turn white from the plastic bags pressing into our hands. We’d run, trying to make it those couple of blocks without stopping, and stumble onto the train dropping a circle of bags to the floor. Why we didn’t purchase a little cart is beyond me! Either we were too poor or we enjoyed the challenge. 
Cooking meals was very fun back then! We loved preparing delicious food and eating it together, at the little table made for two in Duff’s apartment. Now cleaning up the mess was another story. There was no dishwasher and neither one of us really enjoyed doing the dishes. When the pile would rise in a mound above the sides of the sink, we would head out to the bowling alley. We would wager everything. The stakes? The contents of the kitchen sink.
Back then, it turns out, I was a better bowler than Duff. I would start out with a bang, always winning the first few games. Then he would offer to buy me a beer…and the tides would slowly turn, as I sipped away at my golden frothy beverage. Before long, I’d earned the privilege of tackling the mountain of dishes solo. Oh sure, I’d try to pout and look pathetic so he would feel inclined to help, but it never worked. He really enjoyed watching me do those dishes. Every last one of them.
Exploring the city together was another fun thing we did that summer. We’d jump on the ‘T’ and head for nowhere or anywhere, never really having a specific plan. One day in particular, I can remember the two of us standing at a stop along the Green Line waiting for the next train to come along. We were having a conversation. Apparently a very interesting conversation. With Duff, you never talk about the weather.;) And so we stood there for 40 minutes, chattering away, before either of us realized the line was closed. We were just oblivious. So dern happy in that bubble of ours.:)
We snuggled on the couch and watched movies. We bought tickets to see Miss Saigon. We enjoyed an evening dinner cruise aboard the Odyssey. But the event that really clinched it for me that summer, was when we went to see “Sleepless in Seattle” at a theatre in Chestnut Hill. I can recall that day so vividly. Sitting in the dark theatre, holding my boyfriend’s hand while watching that adorable romantic comedy. And as the credits began to roll there was no doubt in my mind; I was Duff’s Meg Ryan and Duff was my Tom Hanks. We were meant for each other.
Now, hmmmmm (we brainstormed)…how to show the world our commitment toward each other?
Why, of course!
The ultimate step toward togetherness…
A Joint bank account.
And off to Bay Bank of Boston we headed…
*NOT Christians at this point. Not even familiar with the word…fornication.
