Alone in the Cold
January 19, 2024 – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Kaleb searched hard before settling on an apartment to lease. He ended up finding an interesting neighborhood filled with other young people. His place was close to work, good restaurants, and plenty of hang-out spots.
Kaleb was sandwiched on the third floor of a five-floor building and although his square footage was compact, it was enough for him. His south-facing window had a view of a park and provided plenty of sunshine on the blue-gray walls. It was a great space to relax when he wanted alone time for video games or streaming marathons.
Kaleb really had no complaints about his apartment, except for the way he was treated by the landlord. When he became interested in telescopes, the landlord refused to give him access to the building’s roof for stargazing. The landlord also banned Kaleb from locking up his bike in the lobby. But both those slights were nothing compared to the landlord’s new utility policies.
When Kaleb moved in, electricity, hot water, and natural gas were included with his rent. Then the landlord decided natural gas would no longer be free. Residents were told they were getting a good deal because their rent would not be raised to keep up with inflation. When Kaleb got his first exorbitant gas heating bill in September, he realized the deal was terrible.
Kaleb considered himself a creative environmentalist. As he stared at his gas bill, he wondered if heating his entire apartment was truly necessary. The only space that mattered to him was closest to his body. What did he care if the space near the ceiling was warm? What if he used a more targeted heating approach?
Kaleb had enough practical experience with thermodynamics to know that even without any heat, his apartment would stay much warmer than the outdoor temperature. He was surrounded by other apartments above, below, and on both sides. If they kept their heat on, his apartment would absorb some of it through the walls. All he would need was an extra boost to keep himself comfortable.
Kaleb’s first purchase for his body-only heating strategy was a pair of battery powered socks. Since electricity was still included with his rent, he could charge the batteries for free as many times as he needed. When the socks arrived, Kaleb was happily satisfied with how they kept his toes warm no matter the outside temperature. His hot toes and feet seemed to elevate the rest of his body’s temperature by ten degrees. As his apartment’s interior dropped into the mid and low 60’s Fahrenheit, Kaleb felt fine. He ordered additional batteries so the socks could be available around the clock.
The only time Kaleb had to go without his electric socks was when he showered. Fortunately, hot water was still included with his rent and his bathroom was tiny. If he left the hot water running, it did not take long to turn the bathroom into a miniature sauna where he could complete all his washing and grooming.
The calendar moved deeper into fall and then winter. Outdoor temperatures dropped along with the average temperature inside Kaleb’s apartment. The electric socks alone did not keep up. Kaleb added a battery powered hat to retain more heat. His shopping history on Amazon suggested he add an electric coat, pants, and then gloves. Eventually he took the hints and his entire core and extremities were covered.
His heat armor was reasonably light, except for the three pounds of batteries it included. He bought multi-plug power strips for every electric socket in his apartment and they constantly charged replacement batteries. Multiple sets of electric clothing allowed him to mix and match outfits and remain heated on laundry day.
By the middle of January, the inside of Kaleb’s apartment was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit, 8 degrees Celsius. If Kaleb decided to stay home after work, he usually heated up high-calorie comfort foods in his microwave to keep him warm from the inside. He enjoyed pleasant evenings watching his TV while sitting on his couch in his full electric gear, battery indicator lights glowing around parts of his body. When it was time for sleep, he slipped under two electric blankets on his bed and powered down most of his clothes.
As much as Kaleb liked to brag to his coworkers about outsmarting his landlord while feeling perfectly comfortable, he spent more time than he used to away from his apartment. He showed up early to the heated building where he worked and left late. He was also happy to join any outdoor activity he learned about. While powered like a human Tesla, he barely felt the frigid chill during outdoor hockey games, igloo making challenges, or hikes along frozen river paths.
While the outdoor activities were fun, Kaleb preferred any chance he got to hang out with friends indoors. He wormed his way into the nucleus of a group that met at a nearby sports bar a few times per week. They sat around jabbering as basketball and football games played on screens above their heads. Since they were only loosely connected, it was impossible to predict which friends or which friends-of-friends might show up on any given night.
On a Friday night in mid-January, Kaleb walked into the sports bar with three regular group members. An hour later, the group size swelled to nine, including a girl named Hannah and one of her friends. Kaleb had only seen Hannah twice before, but he liked what he saw. She had smooth bronze skin and kept her hair in a cute bob. He liked the bubbly way she asked questions and the way her sweater highlighted her curves. He made a point of fetching snacks from the bar so he could rearrange places in their large booth and sit next to her.
Hannah asked about favorite places Kaleb had been in the world and then talked about her college semester in Greece. They were soon only talking with each other. People departed, including Hannah’s friend, while she and Kaleb came up with new things to talk and laugh about. Finally, they were the only two still around. Hannah snapped out of something like a trance and wondered why they were alone.
“I guess everybody left. Should we go too? Unless you maybe want to go somewhere else?”
Kaleb was quick to say, “I’m up for anything. Sure, let’s find somewhere else.”
Without definite plans, Hannah grabbed her puffy coat and gloves. Kaleb activated his onboard heaters. They walked out into the frigid night. The ground and surrounding buildings looked like they were carved from a solid block of ice. A constant wind stung any exposed skin. Hannah gasped as her first breath froze her chest. She shuffled forward onto the sidewalk without thinking.
Kaleb stayed right next to her and offered suggestions for places they might go. “There’s a movie theater close. They have some late showings. Or a cupcake place if you want something sweet. Maybe coffee or hot chocolate. I know a karaoke place.”
“I’m not sure,” Hannah replied. She kept walking on autopilot as if the motion would warm her up.
Kaleb stayed close, admiring how beautiful Hannah looked in the pale light. The wind instantly turned her cheeks and lips red. She turned and smiled at him and he wondered what it meant. Should he catch her attention and smile back? Should he try something bolder like holding her hand? Her gloved hands were shoved inside her coat pockets, but he could probably figure out a way to dislodge one.
Before Kaleb could do anything about the hand situation, Hannah smiled again and said, “Didn’t you say you lived close? Maybe we can go to your place.”
Kaleb immediately forgot about hand holding and replied, “Sure. That’s a great idea. I’m only like a block away.”
They made a left turn while Kaleb blabbered nonsensibly about the street they were crossing and the cars parked around them. Most of his brain was excitedly processing the idea of being alone with Hannah. He had started the evening with no expectations for romance but was eager to see where things might lead. He almost tripped over his own feet leading the way to his building and trying to impress Hannah with its ideal location.
They reached the lobby and felt a welcome blast of warm air when Kaleb pulled open the door. Hannah hurried inside and then stood still for a few seconds moaning, “Ahh!”
Kaleb grinned after seeing that she was so happy. “My place is up on the third floor,” he said. “It’s fastest to take the stairs.”
They walked to the stairwell and began their climb. Hannah said, “I wasn’t ready to be that cold. I just need a few minutes to sit and warm up. I hope you keep your place hot.”
Kaleb awkwardly missed the next step on the stairway and almost fell on his face. All thoughts of prospective romance were quickly replaced with the memories of his heating experiment. He was about to show Hannah into an apartment that would take her breath away, but for all the wrong reasons.
“Um, maybe you won’t like my apartment much,” Kaleb muttered. “Maybe we shouldn’t go up.”
Hannah laughed like he was joking. “Are you embarrassed because it’s messy? Don’t worry, I’ve seen how most guys keep their apartments.”
Hannah kept climbing and Kaleb could not think of a good excuse to turn her around. After another half minute, they stood in front of his door. Hannah smiled at him, but Kaleb only felt regret. He pushed open the door and cold air rushed into the hallway. Hannah gasped again.
Kaleb flipped on a light and said, “Well, here it is.”
Hannah reluctantly shuffled inside and cried, “It’s freezing in here! What’s wrong? Why’s there no heat? Did something break?”
Kaleb took one look at her shocked face and decided it was best not to explain his electric clothing strategy. He would instead run with the idea that the heat was simply out. “I’m sorry. This happens sometimes,” Kaleb said in disgust. “My landlord is the worst.”
“Can you call someone and get it fixed?”
Kaleb shrugged his shoulders. “It won’t help. They’ll just say they’re busy and they’ll get to it when they feel like it.”
Hannah’s jaw dropped in sympathetic anger. “I can’t believe you aren’t raging about it.”
“I guess I’m used to it.”
“Well, you can’t stay here tonight. You’ll freeze to death, no matter how many blankets you have.”
Kaleb knew that was an exaggeration, but he liked her concern. She looked cuter than ever.
“Don’t you have somewhere else you can go?” Hannah continued.
“Not really.”
Hannah shook her head. “Well, I’m not going to let you suffer. I can’t leave you here. Grab some clothes and whatever else you need. You’re coming with me.”
All the imagined thoughts of romance that had disappeared in the stairwell refilled Kaleb’s head. He would now be going to Hannah’s apartment. Her nice and warm apartment. It would probably smell sweet and be decorated with soft mood lights. He was not sure where things might lead, but he was very happy to find out.
Kaleb moved like a blur to pull clothes and toiletries out of drawers and shove them into an overnight bag. In a matter of seconds, he reported to Hannah that he was ready to go. They walked back downstairs and Hannah paused for a few moments to steel herself for the cold outside.
“Shall we order an Uber?” Kaleb suggested.
“No, it’s not that far away.”
Kaleb smiled slyly, thinking they were practically neighbors. Depending on how things worked out, they could conveniently see each other all the time.
Hannah took a last long breath of the warm lobby air and then pushed outside. Kaleb followed right behind as she purposely marched down the sidewalk and took a left turn. She kept marching until she was standing under a lighted sign for a Salvation Army shelter.
“This is it,” Hannah announced, pointing inside. “I volunteer sometimes at their soup kitchen. They also have beds for the night. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s warm. And the people are really friendly.”
Kaleb fought not to show any kind of emotion on his face.
“I can help you inside,” Hannah continued. “I might know some of the volunteers in there.”
“No, that’s okay,” Kaleb replied. “I can do it myself. Uh, thanks for wanting to help.” As Kaleb looked into Hannah’s kind, well-intentioned face, he was not sure whether to laugh or cry. A minute earlier, he was strutting down the street thinking she was taking him home. Now he realized she was leading him to a homeless shelter.
“I’ll probably call an Uber to get home,” Hannah said. “I hope you get your heat fixed soon. Maybe I can get a better look at your apartment.”
Kaleb smiled and said, “For sure. I’ll see you later.”
He ducked into the Salvation Army shelter and waited until she disappeared. Then he began the walk back to his apartment, rethinking his heating strategy the entire way.
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