I love life at the coast.
The beach was not too far away from my house, and I’d always head there when I had time for a dip.
I had a great group of friends in the area, and we always met up after work to catch up. But, life changed after the pandemic hit. For months I was home alone and felt so lonely. My parents had moved to another country, and the airports were closed. The closest people I had in my life were my uncle and aunt in Libertyville. Their home has always been my second safest place to be. There were so many summers as a kid I’d gone to stay with my cousins. One morning, I was working out when the phone rang. I was so happy to hear my aunt’s voice, and she asked me to go home. She knew I was living alone and wanted me safe with my family. My work was fully remote, so I took all the precautions to get to Libertyville. It was summer and a nice time to drive there instead of risking taking a plane. The whole time during the drive, I felt I was getting closer to home. My family was so happy to see me, and I almost broke down. The house was just as lovely as ever, plus they’d bought a new AC unit to keep the space comfortable. By the time life was getting a new normal, I’d decided to move to Libertyville and work remotely as per my employer’s suggestion. My aunt helped me hunt for an apartment in the area, and we became roommates with a friend I’d met.