So the other day Heather asked Laura and I if we wanted a free couch. Well, the one that we currently have sucks so we readily agreed. "Anything must be better than this one" we both thought.
So on Tuesday it was delivered to Heather's apartment and was sitting in her lobby waiting for us to remove it. I was feeling rather tired that day and not at all motivated to move it, but i was there and knew that in order to get it it must be done. After some manouvering we got it out of the lobby and proceeded to try to carry it. Well, this couch was heavy, and i mean HEAVY! Carrying it was not really any option so we both thought that perhaps we could push it. Well, this also proved difficult due to the roughness of the sidewalk and the fact that th plastic feet on it were breaking. We were only a couple feet out of the lobby when I started to have my doubts about the whole "free couch thing" ....I could see already that this was going to be a huge trip. I asked Laura if she was sure that she wanted the couch, and she was, so I reluctantly helped her get it across the street. We managed to carry it and then drop it at the other side.
Well, we still had two alleys to go through which isn't long but when you have the prospect of getting a heavy couch there than it seems really, really long....and it was. Laura and I soon realized that we couldn't carry it or drag it so we flipped it on its side and then proceeded to "walk" it across the alley. This was extremely slow going and muscle straining. A couple of guys walked by and said that they would offer to help but they had bad backs or sore wrists or some kind of ailment that prevented them. Nevermind, we thought...we were making progress...slowly but surely.
A few minutes later we say this other guys slowly tottering towards us as he came down the alley. I thought that he looked drunk. Sure enough, he was drunk...carrying his brewsky in this hand and all. "Do you ladies need any help?" he drawled. Both Laura and I politely declined. He suggested that we get a shopping cart to put the couch on and wheel it to our place. We said that perhaps this would work ( even though we both knew that it wouldn't) and he told us that if he found a buggy on his way he would come back and give it to us. Well, it was kind of him to offer his assistance but truth be told, if we had of let him help us in his state the couch probably would have ended up on top of him and then we'd have an even bigger problem.
We got to the next road and had to pick the couch up and carry it across the next road. Again, we had to drop it just as soon as we got across the road and then try to "walk" it down the alley. As we got closer to our street some guy in his apartment called to us and asked us if we needed help. "Sure" Laura said. This guy was busy packing up boxes because he was moving the next day.
Well, let's just say that it was too bad for this guy because he didn't know what he was getting himself into. He and his daughter helped us carry the couch the rest of the way to our apartment and then his daughter bailed (smart girl). The guy offered to help us carry it upstairs. Well, he was doubtful when he saw that we didn't have an elevator in our place but kept his word and between he and Laura the couch got upstairs. There was a lot of grunting and sweating and cursing involved (on his part) but it got up there.
Ok, so the couch got upstairs and into our hallway and between the three of us we tried every which way to get it through our doorway and into our apartment. And, wouldn't you know it but - the couch would not fit. The guy finally said that he had to go and this left Laura and I to try and get it in (after thanking him for his assistance - I think that he sorely regretted asking if he could help us after all of the work that was involved...well we tried manouvering it and when all was said and done we got the couch stuck - half in the our apartment and half in the hallway. We quickly realized that we had a big, big problem and decided that we had to call someone to help us...I mean this was an emergency man! So we called the church and talked to Jay and told him our story and he got in touch with Bishop Ward and it turned out that the Bishop and his son Joe and his son's friend Sam came to help us. As he was calling and asking me for our address he asked all sorts of questions about what was going on and why the couch was stuck and how it got stuck and didn't we think to measure the couch before we started moving it..etc...etc. At this point I was feeling irriated but tried to be polite and answer his questions calmly.
So the three of them came and again the Bishop asked questiong about how we got it upstairs and into the hallway etc. Laura and I soon realized that the Bishop is not much of a "man's man" when it comes to things like physical labour and moving stuff. He didn't know how to get the couch out of the hallway and basically Laura had to tell him how to manouver it. Joe seemed to have a better idea of what to do and he basically directed his dad and Sam. After sweating and lifting etc.....the couch was finally outside in the back alley. Laura and I were grateful for their help and decided then and there that if we ever get new couch we are measuring the door AND hiring professional movers to get it into our place.
Well, once we realized that the only place to put the couch was in the alley Laura and I felt even more frustrated because although we were glad to have it out of our place we would have to find a way to get it out of the alley. It wouldn't have been fair to Mike and Franca to leave it there. So the next morning I called 1-800-junk and arranged to have them come and pick it up. They are quite costly but they were so nice and friendly on the phone that I just went with it. I just wanted that blasted couch gone!
So I called that morning and went to some appointments and then when they finally came to take the couch away we soon discovered that the couch was no longer there! It was there in the morning but three hours later it was gone without a trace! Fortunately the got junk people didn't charge me but I was elated to find it gone! Phew!!! I felt blessed......good bye and good riddance I thought!
And this was our experience with the "free" couch.....beware - it could happen to you.
