My buddy Pete and I had decided that it was time for a change, and we made plans to move across the country for a fresh start somewhere else. We were both 30, had good careers, no wives or kids, and no debt. It seemed like a funny thing to do, to just say fuck it and see where life took us. There is a very, very long story involved in many of the decisions we made, but suffice it to say, it worked out pretty well. We spent a few weeks getting acclimated to the other side of the country, visiting college, friends, or family, before Pete finally found a place to rent. It wasn't nice and it wasn't too expensive, so it worked for us for a while. Our first night in the new apartment well, my first night he had been there for a little while. As I traveled around, we decided to go out to the bars, have a few drinks and get a bite to eat. The second or third stop we made had a games section with some pinball machines, arcade games, and a pool table. Pete and I opted for beer and pool and played a few rounds one-to-one until a single woman came up and asked to join us.