Harold Arnold: Your Relationship Rocks Coach!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Home Owners at Last

Previous episode
Rob and Celia are trying to work on their relationship with Celia’s mother as they anticipate buying a house with her as well as living with her. 

Current episode
The call that their house offer was accepted arrived just as Rob and Celia were laughing, with genuine mirth, at the situation they had put themselves in by agreeing to live with Celia’s mother. 

“We got it!” Celia said, disconnecting the call from the realtor and standing up at the table.  She and her mother were having tea at Starbucks, where they had stopped in to say hello to Rob as he worked the closing shift on his second job.  Celia hugged Rob, hard, before they both hugged her mother.

The house was a little smaller than they had hoped; only three bedrooms, but it was in Upper Arlington, a nice neighborhood near Ohio State where Rob and Celia had met.  More importantly to Rob, Celia knew, was that it fell in a good school district, which meant that they would not have to worry about trying to move again before their child started school. 

“See,” Celia said, hugging Rob again and speaking into his ear.  “Now you don’t have to worry about anything.  Just getting about getting on with the rest of our lives. 

“I’m sure I’ll figure out something new to worry about,” he said. 

“Let’s just worry about moving and having a baby,” she said. 

“I can’t wait to start decorating,” Mom said.  “Why don’t we”—

Rob sighed, gave Celia a look that said good luck, and went back to work. 

“Mom,” Celia said, sitting back down.  “Except for the nursery we’re going to have to get by with the furniture we have.  We’re going to be at the limits of our income just getting into the house and there isn’t much left over.  And remember I won’t be drawing a paycheck over the summer.”

“Oh, but it’s your first house,” Mom said.

“Mom,” Celia said firmly, “we will decorate gradually as we can afford it.  But you can decorate your room any way you want.”

“I’ll pick a nice deep gray-green paint,” she said, “and find a nice neutral bedspread.”

Celia smirked.  At the very least Mom was easy to redirect.

“I have an idea,” Celia said.

What does she tell her mother?