#4 Hinge Pins

Originally uploaded by PackRatty McRatterson
In 2005, after leaving my boyfriend, I moved into a beautiful apartment with a good friend. I was scared and excited. When we found out our application was approved, we went down to our favorite bar and drank $1.50 mimosa(s?).

It was in one of those buildings where it seemed fitting to play jazz, and drink too much gin, and to push all the furniture against one wall so you could paint pictures in the living room. If you were out on the balcony late at night smoking a cigarette while gazing across the courtyard, it almost felt like Europe. It was past its prime. It was haunted as hell. We loved it. Except the kitchen.

The kitchen was a glorified hallway that someone had ridiculously shoved a fridge, a sink, and a stove into. The cabinets were large and high and were covered with huge smothering white doors. The white was crushing me. It was literally in my face every second I was in that kitchen. So one day, I took the cabinet doors off and put them in our storage space.

In the overlap, while I was gone but my roommate was still there, I got a small box of things. An incense burner, some unsent letters, and these hinge pins. I'm still wondering where the other 15 or so went.