Home Is Your Heartbeat ('Home Is' Book Two - Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 53 - Moonshadow (Cat Stevens)

NATE

When I hear the faint twang of a guitar on the breeze as I wander back home?

My mouth opens to emit a cackle of evil laughter....and I high-five myself.

In my mind's eye, I can see Dixon's face screwing up in pained resignation. As his eyes narrow in realisation.

That he's just boarded the Karma Express  😏

"Something has tickled your fancy this morning, Nate?"

"Morning, Gabriel. Yes and very much so. But I've got a feeling it's going to come back and bite me on the ass big-time. Sooner  rather than later."

I grinned hugely at him as I passed by without stopping to shoot the breeze. And he didn't seem offended.

Just want this tiny bit of merriment to stay with me for as long as possible. Longer than my intended 'To-do'  list, anyway.

That happy state lasts all of approximately....Oh....I'd say thirty-two seconds? Which is how long it takes me to reach our porch and open the front door.

It's then that I'm confronted with the reality I'd ever so briefly (and deliberately)  forgotten about  😖

My sigh is loud as I step across the threshold. While gazing back longingly at the many houses in Alexandria. Those that are still empty, untouched and....clean.

Maybe we can just pack up and move every few weeks when it gets grotty again? Failing that, find someone else to do my....To-do's?

Stop procrastinating, woman....and get your ass into gear. It ain't gonna awesome itself you know!

*

Over the following couple of hours, the house slowly transformed from a pigsty back to a show home.

And during that time, I couldn't help the feelings of longing that washed over me whenever I thought of our old abode.

No, Jeez FUCK NO....not the prison itself  *Shudder*  😬

I meant....the life that we'd built there. It was one huge house and like a well-blended family, we all lived in it. Happily for the most part.

Sharing the workload was a whole lot easier. Even though we didn't always have the luxuries like we do now. Like solar electricity, hot running water, vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and washing machines.

The old gennie's could only handle a max of three things at a time back there. And even then, it was mostly a case of 'Fingers crossed'.

Each of us had a little space to call our own. A cave-like refuge to escape to whenever the togetherness got a bit too much.

And yup, we all squabbled occasionally. But like most families, we made allowances and got over ourselves.

I'll be honest and fess up, that I'm quite enjoying the extra privacy we have here. Though we're paying a high price for it I think?

Not the least is in....time.

Time that could or rather should  be better spent on preparing for the future. Not falling back into the so-called 'Convenient'  ways of the past.

We've come full circle and then some, don't you agree?

From having everything at our fingertips to losing it all in a matter of mere weeks. And now after a couple of years....having some of it back again.