Closing the front door behind him, Richie said goodbye to everything that he knew. As he slowly walked through the front garden, along the pathway then pass the gate. Walking away from Conebridge where he’d spent his life for many years.
As he walked away from his family home for the very last time, with a sense of sadness in his heart. The years he’d lived there had been many a happy one.
“Endings are apart of our lives, they maybe final, but that’s how they have to be.” Richie thought to himself.
For he known that he was due to start over again in some way, on route to somewhere else. As people, we just accept these endings every New Year’s Eve, as a new year begins and we put to rest the one before.
Richie and Karen had known each other since high school. Back when they first became, childhood sweethearts decades before.
Richie was a year older than Karen and enjoyed the fact that she was a little bit younger than him.
Ever since he’d known her he’d always felt quite protective of her, but not in a controlling way but in a caring and gentle capacity.
Over the years Karen would often refer to Richie as her ‘Knight in shining armour,’ as he continually proved to be during their years together.
Some years later after high school had finished and they’d both graduated from university. Karen became pregnant with Zoe. She would be, their only child and the apple of her parents eyes, for the rest of their lives throughout all the years that followed. As they would spend many happy moments together.
Richie was a Freelance Photographer and Karen continued to work from home as an Artist, even after Zoe had grown up and had flown the family nest.
Zoe had turned into a wise, loving and caring young woman, who was ready to leave her own mark out there in the big wide world.
When the time came for Zoe to eventually had her own children, she would often think back to her happy childhood days, growing up near the seaside at her family home Conebridge.
When Karen passed away, after Zoe’s first child was born. Zoe would continue to take the children over to visit her father at Conebridge in the years ahead.
Reliving her childhood days, through her own children’s eyes with each year at the family’s seaside home.
Richie knew that the day would come when he would have to leave Conebridge as that’s how life is in the end. In order to start that new beginning, as we all have to move on, in order to enter the next part of our own personal adventure.
As Richie, walked out off the front door to the home that he’d come to love for so long now, he smiled as he looked back. In his heart he no regrets, as he had lived his days in the way he was destined to,
as he took one last look at the old white stone house.
As Richie took one step after another, walking slowly along the pathway that led to stone steps down to the beach.
He could smell that familiar scent, of the sea with each inhaled breath, that he took.
At the bottom of the steps was a wooden bench, where he had sat many times before with his late beloved wife Karen.
As Richie sat himself down on the bench, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a treasured photo. It was one that had been taken when they’d all first arrived at Conebridge, all those years ago.
As he looked out towards the sea in front of him, flashes upon flashes of memories came calling back, just like a boomerang.
As he quietly closed his eyes with his family photo, clutched firmly in his left hand.
As a feeling of complete peace surrounded him, as he smiled.
His life had been lived with much celebration through such wonderous memories, that he had always held
close to heart. As he took his very last breath, still showing a smile on his face filled of much gratitude for those such joyous and most precious of years.
He silently sat, as he quietly moved on without any regrets.

(13/07/23)










© Josephine Daniels.