Home, Sweet Home

[WxMurray 0]

It didn’t take long for Murray to have his shoes off and sitting with his feet on the sofa. He had forgotten how much he loved being home, his real home, not his home in space. He accepted the glass of apple juice his mother offered.

 

“You haven’t been home in a while,” his mother accused as she sat.

 

“I know. But I’ve been busy with Starfleet.”

 

“Don’t they give you shore leave?”

 

“Mom, I haven’t even been in space a year yet. I haven’t needed shore leave.”

 

He took a sip of apple juice. It had always been his favorite. He was surprised at the taste: it was real, not the stuff that a replicator hands out. And it was cold, too. He might just have to come home more often just so he could get some real apple juice.

 

“Do you like it? We made it ourselves.”

 

“You made it? From real apples?”

 

“Yes, didn’t I tell you? We bought the land behind us and turned it into an orchard. We make real apple juice, real apple cider in the fall, and real applesauce.”

 

Murray was practically drooling. He remembered his mother's delicious homemade applesauce from his childhood. She would go down to the Gettysburg area just to get real apples to make it; that area was one of the few places that still produced real apples.

 

“An orchard? In Campbelltown? It’s kind of odd, but whatever works.”

 

“It produces well. We keep some juice and sauce for ourselves, then the rest goes to restaurants. We keep some apples for baking, too.”

 

Murray looked around. “Where’s Dad?”

 

“He’s out in the orchard checking for insects and disease.”

 

Murray finished his apple juice and left to wander the house. There were definitely some difference from the last time he was here almost two years ago. The main bathroom had be completely redone; the one off the master bedroom had a new paint job. New carpeting all over the house, new furniture, light fixtures, and new cookware. What had once been the office, laundry room, and part of the basement were now converted to an area devoted to model railroading.

 

As Murray went to bed that night, he came to a decision. Change wasn’t scary, just intimidating. And all one needed was the right frame of mind to accept it.