the older couple is telling the younger woman how they met.
they met in michigan. before they met, he had already planned to move to new york or california. she hoped he would pick new york. (“please pick new york, please pick new york.”) it didn’t really matter to him, though he preferred manhattan. (“it’s changed since.”)
they got engaged on christmas morning 1978 over the phone. (“it sort of just happened.”) his mother got all choked up when he announced it over christmas dinner. they got married in march 1979. it was a simple, do-it-yourself wedding. there was a blizzard. it had been a cold winter.
they rented a u-haul not long after and moved to upstate new york. he had found a studio apartment walking around in a neighbourhood that he liked. it was cheap. (“so cheap.”) they lived there for six to eight months, until they got their own place. that’s when they became demolition experts. (“that’s when we became demolition experts.”)
the younger woman nods agreeably.