Home Sweet Home (rerun)

Before I even met Mark, twenty years ago, I had planned to sell my house in Florida. I knew it would be financially unsustainable after I retired. I figured I could take the profit from the increased value and buy another, nicer place. Here is how that went four years ago, when I told Mark what I had planned.

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"Oh look Alan. This one is so cute and it's well within our budget."
I walk over to where Mark is and take a look at the computer screen.
"That is nice. Where is it?"
"Memphis."
"I never heard of that neighborhood. North side or south side of Chicago?"
"Memphis, it's in Memphis Tennessee. Look at the kitchen." Mark was drooling.
"Why are you looking at houses in Memphis?"
"They're very inexpensive. You get a lot more house for your dollar."
"But it's in Memphis."
"I know but..."
"Memphis. You do know that Memphis is in the south, right? Middle of nowhere, Elvis lived there, hot, boring."

I recently took stock of our financial situation and although everything is okay right now, when I reach retirement age (go ahead and laugh) I will lose some of my income. I informed Mark that there is a good possibility that we will sell the property we have now, pay off all my debts, and pay cash for a less expensive home. Well, nothing stimulates Mark as much as the prospect of spending money on something. So he started researching the most inexpensive places to live, places where you can get a lot of house with a great kitchen for little cash. That is how he found Memphis.

"We're not moving to Memphis. In fact the only two places I will consider are Chicago and Wilton Manors, Florida. We'll either stay here in Florida or go to Chicago. I'm not moving to some place where the first thing people ask you is, what church do you attend."
Surprisingly, Mark shrugged his shoulders and agreed. Five minutes later he called me back over to his computer.
"Look at this place. I have to have this house. It is so adorable."
"Memphis again?"
"No, Springfield Illinois."
"Hmmm, you do know that Springfield is two hundred miles from Chicago don't you?"

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