My parents were quite happy when we all finally left home to live our lives.
They practically threw a party when our baby brother left for college.
But, we knew they meant well when they joked that we were not allowed to come back. We’d always been raised to be quite independent and believe we could do anything. And all four of us went on to live extraordinary lives thriving in the careers we had chosen. But, when the pandemic hit, life changed. We were all scared, and our parents were always calling to make sure we were okay. When cases began to rise, they asked us to move back home and quarantine with them. Two of us had lost our jobs while the others were working remotely. We saw this as a better move since we needed to be safe and save money. Our parents wouldn’t take no for an answer, so we all moved back in with them. We turned on the heat pump in our parents’ house in winter, which we had needed all summer. The best thing about heat pumps is you can use them in summer to cool the house and in winter to keep it warm. But, when we tried to adjust the heat pump mode in winter, it could only blow cool air into the house. This prompted our dad to contact the AC company in the area for advice on what to do. The AC mechanic he spoke to advised dad to check the air filter and change it, after which the heat pump would function properly. Dad ordered some air filters, made the change, and the unit began blowing warm air into the house.