Strangers Assume My Girlfriend Is My Nurse by Shane Burcaw

Author:Shane Burcaw
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and felt a smile grow across my face. I hadn’t realized it, but the constant facade of humor was downright exhausting. Hearing her tell me I didn’t need to keep up the act just for her was like sinking into a cozy bed at the end of a long day. The rest of the pavilion melted away and all that remained was Hannah, smiling at me, and forking another cheese curd into my mouth.

Chapter 13

The Elevator

In my early twenties, I went through a rough patch where living with my parents began to wear on my nerves. I can’t stress this enough: My discontent really had nothing to do with my parents themselves. My parents are outstanding people who have shown me nothing but love and support throughout my entire life. Since they were my full-time caregivers, our relationship was naturally much closer than what the average twenty-three-year-old shares with his parents, but even outside of the caregiving dynamic, we have always gotten along well as a family. In fact, up to this point, I rarely thought negatively about my situation of living with my parents; it just wasn’t a big deal.

But after I graduated from college, most of my friends got their own apartments, leaving for places like New York City and Philadelphia in search of jobs and excitement. My social media feed became a constant reminder of the adventures they were living, out there in the wild cities, living paycheck to paycheck but having a blast as they learned how to be adults on their own.

My friends’ departure from their childhood nests prompted me to examine my own situation: I was still living with my parents and had no plans for moving out. As soon as I began paying attention to my surroundings, things that never bothered me became extremely frustrating. For instance, I had always adjusted my schedule to compromise with my parents. If I wanted to stay up writing until 3 a.m., but Dad (who puts me in bed) wanted to be in bed by 10 p.m. because he had to get up for work, then we’d discuss it and typically settle on something like 11 p.m. These types of compromises were never an issue. They made sense, and I had no problem giving up a little independence for the people who so gladly cared for me 24–7 for twenty-three years.

But as I entered this new rough patch, the compromises started to anger me. If I wanted to visit my girlfriend until midnight, or if I wanted to have friends over for a party, I should be able to do that. I was an adult with a life and career of my own, but you can’t just do whatever you damn please when you’re living with your parents, especially when they are the ones performing almost every aspect of your daily care from sunup to sundown. Plus, I care about their well-being, so I couldn’t in good conscience stray from the mild lifestyle that we’d negotiated.

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