Tools

Having lived on my own, I've acquired a few basic tools for myself just in case. Because you never know. And I mean just the basics: a Phillips and flat head screwdriver, a hammer, a pair of needle-nose pliers and slip-joint water-pump pliers (thanks wiki for the name), and an Allen wrench for good measure. And they've all come in handy at some point.

So when my ex and I moved in together, I knew we would need these, and probably during the actual move as well. So I put my tools in a bin (I got real tool box later) and remembered where I put them for moving day. Lo and behold, we're about to assemble something and he says, "oh man, we need a screwdriver to do this" in that flat-oh crap-I-don't-have-this-voice. I, on the other hand, am rummaging through my bin, grab both, pull them out while asking "Phillips or flat head?"
He looks at me for a second almost awestruck and asks:
"how come you have tools?"
My retort: "well how come you don't?"
::pause:: "good point"
(And we needed "the crossed one." Right, he didn't even know the proper name)

Turns out my ex was not a handy guy (didn't even pretend to be). Far from it, if there was a repair or assembly that didn't involve a lot of muscle, you turned to me. (you know who assebled our dining room table and 3 of the chairs? Me. Yeah.) Once his mom was over at our place letting the dog out, and she needed my sewing kit. Not knowing what it looked like, she spies the tool box and figures to look in there. She was surprised (maybe pleasantly) to find my tools in there, but she clearly knew it was mine and not her son's. Later that afternoon when she talked to my almost sister-in-law she mentioned I had a tool box. Sil was shocked that I even had one in the first place (this whole family was not handy in the slightest) and then asked,
"what does she keep in there?"
Mil-tools!
Sil: really?
OK honestly, what else would I keep in a tool box? (art supplies, but by then my daap days were over)

But never once in that conversation did they think the toolbox belong to the boy in the house.