This was just something I thought of, as I was moving into my first apartment. Knowing what we do about Pam, I can imagine that this was a pretty big day for her. So here is my take on how that might have gone.
Also, I own nothing.
Pam breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door and said goodbye. It had been a day filled with all the activities that came along with moving. Her new apartment was on the third floor, so her last few hours had been spent lugging boxes and furniture upstairs.
Her family had been a huge help in getting her moved into her new apartment, but now she knew it was time. Every time she moved into a new place Pam spent the first few moments stuck in a panic, overwhelmed by all that was about to happen. When she moved into her first college dorm room, she had to force her parents to leave so she could settle herself.
It wasn't much different when she moved in with Roy, except that she couldn't exactly force him to leave. This time though, this time was different. After months filled with more emotion then she could imagine, Pam Beesly was finally on her own. Many people would look at that as a negative thing and to be fair the whole situation was filled with plenty to be negative about. Very few people actually celebrate breaking off an engagement and losing a close friend. Pam knew the truth though, this was finally her chance to be herself and live her life her own way.
Before that could happen, Pam had to get over her initial overwhelmed state. She wandered from room-to-room and noted the disarray. The living room was piled full of boxes and unassembled furniture. The bedroom held all the pieces to her bed lying scattered around the room. She paused her tour of the apartment to try and use the bathroom only to discover that she had no idea where the toilet paper had been stashed. She quickly surveyed the rest of the apartment noting the disorganization and wondered how she ended up with that much stuff.
The initial walkthrough of the apartment was everything that Pam was hoping for and dreading. Clothes were in the kitchen, books in the bathroom, the couch did make it to the living, but overall nothing was where it should have been. It didn't matter that it would take so much more work to sort out; it was exactly how she wanted it. For the first time in a long time, Pam smiled a real smile.
Once again, this is not something most people celebrate, but seeing her apartment in such disorder reminded Pam of her life at the moment. No one that has recently called off their wedding, lied to the man they really love, and are working at a job that they hate where there is no future can really say they have things figured out.
While Pam did not claim to be an expert on herself, she did know that she was a very hands-on learner. If she could see a problem and do something concrete to work on it, it helped her to understand what was going on. This apartment, this mess, was her concrete problem.
Pam took another deep breath and began unpacking the first box. The first item she pulled out was a ceramic candy dish. In reality, Pam realized how truly hideous it was. The dish was painted in bright, clashing colors was shaped like a duck. Roy hated it. It was precisely that reason and the fact that Pam knew Roy would have protested loudly to it that Pam set it aside to be placed on her coffee table. The rest of the box was filled with other knick-knacks and items she would be using to make the place her own. She quickly realized she couldn't set any of this stuff out without first setting up some furniture.
Most of the furniture Pam had accumulated over the years had been left at Roy's apartment. New Pam, new apartment, new life… new furniture? Maybe it hadn't been the best financial decision, but it was well worth it to Pam. Unfortunately, all of her new furniture was some assembly required. Her dad had graciously offered to stay and help, but this was something Pam needed to do on her own.
Pam grabbed the toolbox, bookshelf parts, and instructions and got to work. To say it was an effortless process wouldn't be an accurate description. After struggling for almost an hour on something Pam figured a 12 year old could have accomplished, it was finally complete. Smiling, Pam stepped back to admire her handiwork. If Dunder-Mifflin ever did downsize maybe she would consider a career in carpentry. Then again, as the bottom shelf fell to the ground, she threw that thought out. After a few fixes of minor mistakes, Pam arranged the first of her things on the bookshelf. It was perfect.
Everyone had told her to take her time settling in. After all, you don't need everything unpacked the first night. But Pam had been following everyone else's instructions for far to long, it was time she took control of her own life. She knew it was unrealistic to finish everything in a night, but she decided that one room would be a big first step. And Pam needed to make that big first step.
With an energy that could only be fueled by adrenaline and determination, Pam worked until her living room was fully set up and unpacked. She had done all but hang the pictures as she decided that angering her landlord on the first night probably wasn't the wisest decision. She would wait until later for that.
Once again she glanced around the room, but this time it felt different. In a matter of a few hours Pam had transformed this ridiculous mess into something beautiful, comfortable, livable. Simply looking around the room filled Pam with hope, maybe if she worked even harder, her life could look a little bit like this too.
Pam sunk into the coach with a contented sigh. She was exhausted, smelly, hungry, and hadn't been this happy in years. Too tired to move, she fell asleep dreaming of her new life and marveling at this new chance she had been given and the person she hoped to share it with one day.
Sometimes, an apartment isn't just an apartment.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I appreciate comments especially since I know my writing is a little rusty (not that I've ever been that good, but now I'm out of practice). As for right now this story is just a one-shot… I tend to have good intentions for series but am not good at following through with them. We'll see what happens.