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My new job versus boyfriend’s new job: the endless battle

Emily Campbell

Recently I started a new job at this epically cool company. “Awesome,” my boyfriend, started new full-time hours at his part-time job after quitting his full-time job (try saying that three times fast). We both quit our old jobs on the same day at the same time because – brace yourself – we worked at the same company.

“GASP!” you may be exclaiming while you read this, because I’m pretty sure I never told any of you lovely readers that Awesome and I worked at the same place. In fact, we first met at work back in 2011 when he fixed my computer, but never really talked until we met again at our corporate Christmas party and ended up playing pool together, drunk, at the unofficial “after party.” Fast-forward to now, we are living together.

But alas, I digress. When Awesome and I worked together, we had the same hours, so naturally it seemed easiest to drive together each morning and night. We woke up at the same time and ate lunch with each other every day. It was really nice to have that extra time driving and eating together, because Awesome was also working part-time at his other job, equaling out to about a 65-hour work week. Some days he would go to work from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., then work from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. So I really cherished that extra time together.

Now, with my new position and his new and improved job, our hours don’t match up anymore. Every day I get up at 6:45 a.m. so I can be at work by 8 a.m. I take my shower, dress and go to work. Awesome leaves the apartment at 3 p.m. and works until 11:30 p.m. We no longer get the extra hour and a half that we had when we worked at the same company.

The first day of my new job was nice because he got up and made breakfast for me and when I came home he was already at work so I got to watch whatever I wanted on TV.

It was the second day that got me. I was cranky about having to wake up earlier for this job, since my day starts a half-hour earlier. Awesome also woke up, but promptly rolled himself over into my side of the bed before I was even fully out of it, snoring before both of my feet hit the floor. I got dressed, kissed Awesome goodbye and got into my car for the ride to work … alone.

Usually we would listen to our radio show together and discuss what they were talking about, but now I just half-listened, then turned it off entirely. When I got home at the end of the day, Awesome was already at work. He didn’t get home until midnight, when I was so tired that all I could manage was a hug and a kiss before collapsing into bed. He stayed up until 1:30 a.m. and then we did it all over again the next day.

If we take care to work on it, our relationship can work out to be better than ever. (Photo from Facebook Community)
If we take care to work on it, our relationship can work out to be better than ever.
(Photo from Facebook Community)

There are some nights when he doesn’t work, but we usually have errands like laundry or grocery shopping, and we like to climb a couple times a week so by the time we get home it feels like the entire night flew by.

Now, I try really hard not to take the time we spend together for granted, even though I just finished having words with him about the way he was driving my car. It ended with me in the living room furiously reading a book and him in the computer room with the door closed, I’m assuming furiously mining for space rocks.

If I can do the grocery shopping on a night when he is at work, I do that so we can have time to watch a movie on the couch or eat dinner together. And we’ve planned a couple of vacations that are coming up when we can spend lots of time together. It is a challenge, but it’s one we are slowly getting used to and working on, which for right now, is the only thing we can do.