In the span of less than an hour, the nonchalance that a young male college student brings to life will cut two ways.
The student heads back to Illinois State on a Friday with as much stuff as he can cram into his car. The plan: Mom and Dad will come down on Sunday with whatever won’t fit in his car. Their departure is delayed when the student calls with a request for additional items: a shower curtain and liner and a microwave oven, all leftovers from a recent home remodeling.
After a brief tour of the apartment (including a bathroom with a very wet floor), Mom apologizes about the recycled shower curtain, which sports large pink flowers and winding green vines — not exactly bachelor pad decor. The student and his roommate shrug it off. The shower curtain will keep the water off the floor, and it beats their plan for a tarp tossed over the shower rod.
Then follows the no-fuss solution to minimal kitchen counter space: push the kitchen table back against the wall and put both the microwave oven and a George Foreman grill on it.
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After all, the nonchalant student explains to Dad while shooting a sheepish glance toward Mom, he and his roommate will be eating most of their meals in the living room, sitting on the sofa and watching TV.
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