This week, we received under our front door a lease renewal offer from our landlord. While Girlfriend and I haven’t discussed it at any length, I think we’re both equally depressed about the fact that we’re not able to just simply sign the agreement and slip it back under his door.
We’re moving to Oregon in July, after all, and the agreement on the renewal is for the next year: far longer than we plan to stay. We’re going to have to call him and break the bad news, as much as we’ve enjoyed being his tenants. Plus – as though our shared temptation to stay in Chicago weren’t already palpable with the prospect of leaving behind good friends, steady jobs, and a city that’s been home to each of us for most of our adult lives – the landlord is willing to keep us as tenants with no increase in rent. (I know, given the real estate crisis and the lapsed economy, it would be unreasonable for our rent to go up, but I’ve still never lived in an apartment that didn’t get significantly more expensive with each new lease. It’s making the stress of moving much more difficult to cope with.) read more