The Beginning of the End, Part X

Things between Kevin and I seemed to be going along pretty well, so I was completely floored when he told me one night at the end of May that he had decided to move to Reno. Since he had taken the money from his bank account, his parents were no longer speaking to him, his sister made no secret of her disappointment in him, and he still wasn’t working. He was happy with me, but he was starting to feel like his life was going nowhere, and (surprise) he was getting tired of partying. His friend Matt had a brother who lived in a trailer out in Reno, and according to Matt, Reno was paradise. So Kevin was going to take Matt and fly out to Reno – permanently. Their plan was to first stay with Matt’s brother Jerry and his wife Linda for a while, then get jobs and find a condo.

I listened to all of this in shock. I had no idea that he and Matt had even discussed anything like this, and here was Kevin, not only telling me he was moving to Reno, but that he was leaving IN A WEEK. (One thing about Kevin, when he decided to do something, he did it.) I had to admit, I was proud of him for realizing that his partying was getting out of control, but I was also devastated at the thought of him being thousands of miles away. He and I talked about it at length – and he told me he wanted me to come with them. At that time, I was still working at the bank and living at home, and couldn’t imagine just dropping everything and moving to Nevada in a week. On the other hand, I couldn’t imagine living without him, either. What we eventually decided was that he and Matt would move as planned, and he would send me a plane ticket to come visit once they were settled in. If I liked it, I could move in, if not, I would go back home and we both would live our separate lives. My stomach would knot up just at the thought of Kevin not being in my life, but I knew that realistically I HAD to let him do this… I had to let him go.

We “celebrated” his last night in Chicago as we spent most every weekend night – getting high. He and Matt were leaving on an early afternoon flight, and were all packed up and ready to go. Kevin made a big production of his “last hit ever” and Matt laughed and rolled his eyes. I had a hard time keeping the tears in as I, too, took what I was sure was my own “last hit ever.” Kevin and I spent the night holding each other close, and in the morning, I drove the two of them to the airport. When their flight was announced, I couldn’t stop the tears. Kevin kissed me and smiled and said, “I’ll call you tonight. Don’t worry, we’ll see each other soon.” I tried to be brave and nodded, then he was gone.

Kevin called me late that evening, and was full of wonderful stories about how cool Jerry and Linda were, how their trailer didn’t even LOOK like a trailer, and how beautiful Reno was. Jerry and Linda were health fanatics, nature nuts, and Kevin was considering investing in their latest endeavor, holistic magnets. (I was kind of skeptical, but Kevin was so excited I couldn’t let it show.) Finally, he admitted that he was exhausted, and I smiled as he whispered, “I miss you – and I love you.” Returning the sentiment, I hung up and went to bed, happy that it seemed HE was happy. I always knew that Kevin was a good person, that it was just a matter of getting off the drugs and doing the next right thing, and it seemed that’s what he was doing.

Over the next few weeks, I worked during the day and spent most nights at home either waiting for a call from Kevin or just hanging out with my parents. I still went out on weekends to O’Brien’s, but I kept away from P’s. There was no need. I honestly had no real desire to get high, at least not without Kevin. I missed him terribly, but my friends kept me busy and happy, until one day in July when I got the call I was waiting for.

“We got a condo!” Kevin said excitedly. “It’s GREAT, hon, you’ll love it, I just know it! It has two bedrooms, a huge living room, a balcony… and it has a pool! We can see the sunset over the mountains from the balcony, and it all came FURNISHED! AND – I want you to come out. You promised! I’ll send you the ticket, just name the day.”

My head was spinning – he was talking so fast it was hard to take it all in. But by the end of the conversation, I found myself agreeing to fly out in two weeks. He was going to get the ticket and mail it to me, and he kept swearing I would love it. I was so caught up in his excitement I was laughing when I finally hung up, and announced to my parents I was taking a vacation.

They weren’t too thrilled at the idea, apparently they were hoping that out of sight would equal out of mind, but they were wrong. And since I was an adult, all they could do was offer to drive me to the airport. Getting the time off from work would be a little more tricky, since my trip was only two weeks away, but surprisingly even that was accomplished with minimum hassle.

The ticket came in the mail a couple days later, and the day of my departure I was in heaven. I was going to see Kevin, who I hadn’t seen in almost two months, and from how he described Reno, I was sure it was a paradise. As I boarded the plane and settled in, I started thinking about the real reason for this trip. Was I headed to the place I would eventually call home? Could I move thousands of miles away from my family and friends to be with Kevin? Would I even like it there?

As the plane descended into the desert that was Reno Canon Airport, I got a little nervous. It didn’t look quite how I had pictured it. It looked – well, empty. Exiting the plane, I was greeted with the bells and computer generated noises of slot machines. It seemed they were everywhere. People rushed past me on their way to wherever they were headed, and I looked around desperately for Kevin.

Finally, I saw him. His face lit up, and my fears disappeared. He hugged me tightly, and we went to get my luggage while he prattled on and on about how great it was here. I had to admit, he looked good, tanned and slightly thinner, with seemingly boundless energy. He told me that he wasn’t exactly working yet, he and Matt were still discussing investing with Jerry and Linda, and were just “taking a break” for now. My eyebrows raised slightly at this remark, surely he realized that the money he had wouldn’t last forever? But I let my worry slip away as he led me to a sweet looking ’68 metallic blue Mustang in mint condition.

“Kevin! How the hell did you afford this?” I asked as I climbed in the passenger side.

“Cars are cheaper in Reno, babe, and I’ve got another one at home - a ’67.”

That he did. He wasn’t lying about the condo, it was beautiful, and when we drove away from the airport, the scenery changed dramatically. You couldn’t help but fall in love with the mountains in the distance, and as we drove down Virginia Avenue the sight of the newer casinos was something else. It was totally different from downtown Chicago, but I was loving it.

Matt wasn’t home when we arrived, Kevin explained he was at his brother’s. I was totally exhausted from the plane ride, and just wanted to take a nap. Kevin led me to the master bedroom, and I fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming of the possibilities in this town. For now, it would only be a week, but already I could picture Kevin and I living here happily ever after…