Victor's House

Victor has lived in his neighborhood in North Jersey since the late 60s. Nothing had ever changed about the house he lived in, and he liked it that way. Victor would keep the yard in great shape, but the house looked dingy and needed a ton of help. Once a month a new family would move into the neighborhood and visit Victor. They would either demand him to fix his ugly house or ask to fix it for him. He absolutely hated when people would do this because in his eyes the house looked perfect, just like how it did when he moved in. The house was two stories with missing white panels and broken windows. Victor had moved into this house with his wife, who unfortunately died twenty years later from stage four colon cancer.

Victor loved his wife more than anything and didn’t move into a new house ever again because he didn’t want to be away from her presence. He and his wife had tried to start a family and an empty nursery still sits in the extra bedroom completely untouched. He had enough money to move or change the house because we had connections with the mafia, but he stayed put. As time went on the neighborhood started to really change, houses were looking more modern, and they all looked just alike. Victor’s house started to stand out more than it ever did, like a sore thumb. Of course, Victor thought the other houses around him looked terrible and that his house was the only good looking on in the neighborhood. 

One day when Victor went outside to get his mail, he noticed a package on his front doorstep. Victor had no friends or family anymore and was confused as to who would be sending him something. He took the box inside and put it on the kitchen table, he looked at it for a little while and debated opening it or not. Victor finally got curious enough that he started ripping at the tape to get the box open. Inside was an envelope and a bunch of rocks to make the box seem heavy. Victor started to get upset because he could tell something wasn’t right and he closed the box and drove to the post office with it. As he walked into the post office, he saw that the line was wrapped around three times and would take too long to stand in. He grunted from frustration because he had driven thirty minutes already and was too impatient to find out who sent the package.

When he got back in his car and opened the box and picked up the envelope. Victor ripped open the envelope and inside was a ticket for a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. He was surprised and even more confused as to what he has done to deserve such a gift. Victor went back home and decided he would forget about who sent the package and just be thankful and go on vacation. The cruise was in two days, so he had to get his affairs in order before he left. He goes shopping for some swimsuits and tropical shirts to wear while he is in the Bahamas. Victor had never left the United States and was excited to see a new place, especially a place he knew his wife would’ve loved. He packs a framed picture of her so he can show her all the new things he sees. 

The day the cruise leaves he flies to Florida to get on the ship and begin his voyage. The first day of the cruise is a sea day and Victor spends most the day exploring the cruise ship and sitting by the pool. The next day the cruise stops in the Bahamas and Victor takes his wife’s framed picture to every tourist destination he could find. Victor is having the time of his life and is finally starting to be happy again since his wife’s passing. The last day of the cruise is another day at sea and Victor spends this day eating everything in sight. He starts to worry about going back to his everyday life of nothing and eats his feelings.

When he gets off the boat he flies back to New Jersey and drives back to his old home. As Victor pulls into his driveway, he notices right away that his house is gone. He gets out of his car and runs to where the front door used to be. Victor collapses onto the ground and starts crying, he looks at the rubble of what is left of his lovely home.