The Place We Call Home by Faith Hogan

Author:Faith Hogan [Hogan, Faith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788548595
Publisher: Head of Zeus

24

Simon

Dublin had descended into days of squally showers and Simon rather liked the idea that the city was depressed alongside him. It almost felt as if even the weather understood there was no point putting out anything better than its worst. The forecast was for light wind and warm sunshine in the west, so it seemed to his downcast mind that he didn’t belong there just yet. Really, he knew that leaving the city was a much bigger step than sitting in his old banger and driving west. It was this understanding that fed his reluctance to just pack up and go.

He had asked everyone he could think of to see if he could perhaps get a tenant for his flat. At least that would free up a little pin money. Rents in Dublin were astronomical at this stage and he’d been lucky with this place, picking it up for a song from one of his friends who wanted to offload quickly before heading to start a new life in San Francisco. It was a tiny flat, but in a substantial old building and the postcode was the very best in the city centre. He counted as his neighbours a senator, a rock star and more international businessmen than he could possibly number. Of course, they owned complete five-storey grand residences, while Simon lived in a cramped coach house that emptied him into a back lane, rather than onto the pristine Georgian square of his more distinguished neighbours.

The flat looked rather sad now, since he’d boxed up almost everything worth selling and let it go to one of the nearby charity shops. All he would take were his clothes, and anything else he wanted to keep safe he stored in the low attic over the main living area of the little flat. Soon it would be time to let the new tenant take possession and Simon, while he’d spent most of his time here yearning for something better, something bigger, something more ostentatious, felt a nostalgic melancholy at the notion of leaving his little corner of Dublin behind.

‘Come on, old boy, it can be your farewell.’ Hughie, one of his oldest friends was throwing a dinner party. ‘You can’t just slink away to the country for who knows how long and not have a little bash before you go.’

‘Hughie, I’ve never been less in the humour to party,’ Simon said sadly. He’d already asked Hughie for a sum to ease the burden of the loss, but Hughie’s money was all tied up in his father’s estate. There would be no more cash until the old man was gone and then Hughie had every intention of spending like a diva.

‘Well, okay, so, Thursday night, some friends of Mia’s are coming over – it’s just dinner, nothing too crazy, but at least it’ll give us a chance to see you before you go,’ Hughie said gently. They were worried about him; Simon could see that and it was rather touching. Even Mia,

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