Moving can be a stressful time for anyone, especially when communication breaks down and other’s feelings are not acknowledged. On this episode of Smirk, Zack offers a tale of Carl and Rob’s moving adventure, which directly leads us into our own breakdown as we discuss traumatic moving experiences.
Enjoying SMIRK? Then please be sure to share the show through your social media outlets!
Welcome to Smirk. A podcast that covers society and culture through a storytelling lens. Part creative writing, part discussion, and always interesting. Each week our hosts brings a story to the show, a story they wrote themselves, which is immediately followed by discussion on the author’s moral or theme.
These stories can cover any topic the host wants to discuss, it can be lighthearted or more serious. No one but the author knows if these tales are truth or fiction, and part of the fun is guessing while you’re listening before the reality is made clear.
We want to hear from you! If you want to share YOUR story, join the conversation by writing in to mystory@smirkpodcast.com, and include your moral, or you can let us guess at it. This is the podcast that looks at truth, fiction, and reality. With a Smirk.
Don’t forget to subscribe to Smirk and share the show with your friends!
Want to read Zack’s story “Brown Boxes” in full? Think you can identify the moral or theme for this episode? Read it below, and then take a listen to the podcast.
Brown Boxes
Carl was ready for the big move. You could even say he was excited. Though he knows a relocation would come attached, he was ecstatic and even a little proud when his job offered him the big promotion. A lot of people had been vying for the job, and Carl was the one to earn it.
His husband, however, was seemingly less thrilled. When Carl brought the big news of the promotion, Rob was happy. When the move got mentioned alongside it, the response was little more than an “Okay.” Rob seemed bothered by it.
Now, Rob claimed he didn’t care. His field of work was attainable in any city or town, considering he was a bartender. But he also showed little enthusiasm, as though he was simply along for the ride. It confused Carl, eventually worrying him, and later still angering him. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, after all. For Carl AND Rob.
As these things tend to go, little communication was had on the difficult subject. As these things also tend to go, an argument began. Carl lost it during a normal night’s dinner at home. Carl didn’t even give Rob a chance to respond; he just laid into him about the lack of support.
Finally Rob got his chance to speak up. There was a little anger in his voice, just the obvious annoyance we all get when yelled at. “Didn’t think it had to be a big deal,” he began, “Obviously we’re moving, this is life changing.” Carl was still fuming. It WAS a big deal in his eyes. Rob continued, “My job doesn’t matter. I can find it anywhere. This apartment doesn’t matter. We can get one in the new city. You matter. There’s only one of you. You’re my home, no matter where we are.”