The back-breaking move was over, and the next chapter had just begun. I’d been in my new digs, a 96-year-old cottage for about five minutes, contemplating the unpacking I’d be doing for the next several weeks, when hunger pangs distracted me. It was 9:00 p.m. and I hadn’t had dinner.  Thank goodness for the convenience of a grocery store located a couple blocks down the street.  I could literally run to the store, although at that moment, I only had enough energy to saunter. I grabbed a hearty turkey sandwich and a bottle of red wine. Upon returning to the cottage, I rummaged through a box of kitchenware for a plate and glasses, one for wine and one for water. After guzzling the water, devouring the sandwich and sipping some wine, the excitement of the big move gave way to exhaustion. I barely had energy to put sheets and a blanket on the bed.

I woke at sunrise the following morning feeling well rested, but body was racked with aches and pains. After a strong cup of coffee, I headed to the bathtub to install a shower curtain rod and curtain in preparation of a much-needed hot shower. Before I turned on the water, I noticed mysterious black specks in the tub. I thought the specks were dirt and washed them down the drain. But the “dirt” returned the next day. Black specks were scattered on the tub floor, some stuck to the tile, and a few were scattered on the glass block wall adjoining the tub. Once again, I rinsed them down the drain.

Over the next few days, the black specs continued to appear in the tub. My friend Wendy came over to help me unpack on day four of living in the cottage. I showed her the black specks in the bathtub. Wendy examined the specks and after a few seconds announced: “One moved!” I put on my glasses for a closer look and saw that the round specks had tiny legs. I had bathtub bugs. My lease had a legally mandated disclosure about bed bugs, but said nothing about bathtub bugs.  This was a nuance of vintage cottage living that I hadn’t anticipated. A visit from Terminix rid the tub of the bugs, and to this day, they’ve never returned.