escaping the city for the coast (during a heatwave)
24 June 2026: 19:30
Arrived home after a nine-hour shift. Convinced [Redacted] and [Redacted 2] to spoil ourselves with a Domino’s as they played some game on the TV. Two tiny characters running around the map between ingredients and meals as the timer ticked on and on. Got our food, [Redacted 2] first time ever having Domino’s, with ‘Saltburn’ playing as our main form of entertainment. Well, that and [Redacted 3] freaking out every time one of her Pokémon evolved. Couldn’t stay long as I had to be up by five in the morning. Constantly on the go. Can’t stay somewhere for too long without getting this itchy feeling under my skin. Being committed to this college city for the next few years is always hard on the soul.
25 June 2026
Woke so early morn had barely begun. 5 am. Sun already up as the birds outside were sticking their beaks into some rubbish they found on the side of the road. Heat hadn’t rinsed yet, thankfully, as I boarded my first of three trains. Half a day spent on trains. Convinced myself I had teleported. Quick naps here and there. A stranger asked me to wake another stranger from their nap. Travelled early to try to outrun the heatwave. Spoiler: you can’t outrun it.
A girl at Connelly Station started talking to me as though we were not strangers. We had been friends for a couple of months now and have decided to celebrate our newfound friendship by travelling together for the first time. That’s what anyone would assume if they overheard our conversation. Driving licences. UCD. Scandals. Woke culture. Irish public transport. Schooling system. Men. Cancel culture. The whole lot. Didn’t even end up sitting next to each other on the train. Have a habit of that. Talking to strangers on trains as though we have known each other our whole lives. Did it on Valentine’s Day too. Still have the young man’s Snapchat to prove it.
11:28 am
Arrived in the Homeland. Heat rising. Hugged my mother at the station. Thought about how she keeps losing weight. Held her closer. Arrived home. Which always changes because my mother has a terrible addiction to ‘spicing the place up’.
Despite the sickening heat, Mother continued our tradition of ordering my favourite local takeaway. She does this every time I come back home without fail. Thought I would die eating a chipper in this heat. Would have died doing what I love. This chipper is one you can only get in my hometown, and, my dear diary, I have yet to find a chipper to compare. Mother says it’s so good because it’s run by all women. Three of us ate together, playing catch up and talking about God-Only-Knows-What.
Went into the old shed, which is full of my junk. Collecting desk. Books I didn’t bring with me were left abandoned, some unread, on this white shelf. Drawings on the walls by my friends from 2021 and paintings I made during that global lockdown are still hanging. Staring at me. The pieces I made as an insecure, scared, and confused teenager watching me, the intruder, a woman in her twenties with more wonder and security than ever before. Kicked past the old Harry Potter trinkets and leather-bound journal towards my old room decor. Found a jewellery box I thrifted back in 2022. With a little wind-up ballerina. Dreamt of this jewellery box six times since I left it behind. Took it as a sign. Dusted it off, played that slightly creepy, out-of-tune song by winding up the back, and watched the ballerina dance as the paintings watched me. Made sure to put the jewellery box in my bag and bring it back with me.
19:00-??
A good thing about the Homeland is the numerous swimming options. Beaches upon beaches. They don’t have that in the city. Not even a proper body of water there. Mother and I foolishly believed that people would be heading home at this hour. Drove on country roads to our first beach option, but quickly realised that not everyone had gone home. The cars were parked all along the road leading to the beach. It was impossible to drive or turn to escape. Had to drive into some poor stranger’s driveway to manage an escape. Watched all the other cars turn to do the same after us. Accepted defeat. Sent my brother a text. Drove to our second beach location.
Arrived at our second beach location. Lots fewer people. Managed to grab a pretty empty spot to put everything down. Shoes, sunglasses, towels, phones, goggles, the whole lot. Didn’t take long before Mother and I were in the sea. This is the meaning of life. A body of water. Floating along as the sun beams down onto you. Without a care in the world. Mother doesn't like the sea too much, so she doesn't go as far out as I do, but she tries, and I love her, so it's fine. Mother used to call me her water baby growing up. Once you get me in a body of water, good luck getting me out. Reminded me of late November on the Aran Islands, when I was actively bleeding and full of cuts after a day's worth of being thrown into walls off my bike. Yet still got into the ocean without a second thought.
