It had been more than 6 years since dad had lived with someone.
He didn’t plan on staying with my step-mom so early in their relationship.
At the time they were still moony-eyed for each other, and that’s when the COVID lockdown protocols went into full effect. Dad and my step-mom had to choose to live together for the next few (what every one of us thought would be) weeks, or stay apart for that duration. They decided to shack up, and of course that lockdown lasted for months. Was dad glad they did it? Yes, he admitted that he did, despite there being little things that he hated. At the top of the list was how my step-mom ran the HVAC unit. Since my step-mom evidently never had to worry about money, she has never kept in mind how much HVAC systems impact the monthly utility bill. When Mommy & Daddy pay your bills, why would you think of some trivial things as HVAC costs? Now that her parents were not footing the power bill, dad had to talk to my step-mom about not setting the control component quite so low. This turned into more of a debate than dad expected. The bottom line was that she’d pay the full utility bill herself every week if it meant she’d run the HVAC system as much as she wanted. Dad agreed to that, and has been chilling his balls off ever since, because if the HVAC system ever stops even for a minute, my step-mom will make it turn back on. It’s her money so she suppose dad can’t complain, however … brrrrrr!