Season: Autumn
Weather: the autumn heatwave died down with an icy thunderstorm from the south in the evening.
Day of the week: Wednesday
Date: 17th April, 2024
The city is slowly going back to normal and the building companies and trades have all been very busy. The remaining floodwaters in the low lying areas are being drained. There are roadworks everywhere, nearly on every city street. Some old buildings are being demolished and rebuilt. Only those closest to the shore were smashed, including a hotel resort and two 5 star hotels, amongst others.
Some shops are open. Some are still cleaning up. There are no cars on the road, but there are private electric scooter services in place of taxis. The trains won't be working until next week, so they say.
In the wake of everything, there are random rotting sea creatures and seaweed still being picked up. There are also a few diseases and contagions going around. Lots of coughing and sneezing. Diarrhoea and food poisoning.
After a whole section of the city was infected by an outbreak of cholera, the water system was shut down while they try to found the source of the problem and fix the water pipes. Until then, we have to buy bottled water. All the stocks of bottled water in all the shops across the city have been sold out. Any of the wells or water pumps that were once in use have all been sealed. The sewage pipes are all being inspected for a leak.
At least the sewage system hasn't completely gone down. We can still use the toilets for now, but we collect our grey water to flush them. When we don't have water to flush them, we have to line up with the crowds around the portable toilets that have been brought into the grounds of nearly every building in the city. Some people have been using kitty litter at home put of desperation.
For hygiene, portable public showers have been going up around the place at the cost of 5 for 3 minutes. It's really not easy.
Some people have been going inland to privately rent somebody's bathroom. Some people have given up on their personal hygiene altogether, to the detriment and wrinkled noses of those around them.
It's a good thing I moved to Deaglan's apartment or I would have been left homeless. My former place of residence was destroyed. Not so much because it was close to the shore but more because the floodwaters eroded the foundations and caused the building to collapse. It turned out not everyone had evacuated when told and a few people died when the building collapsed.
For some reason, Deaglan and I seem to keep moving to share the same bed. Sometimes it's his bed. Sometimes it's mine. I feel rather conflicted about how things are going. At this rate, it won't be long before either he takes advantage of me or I take advantage of him.
Are we moving too fast?
The good thing is that he respects me enough to do nothing but hug me to sleep. At the same time, I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Am I not attractive enough? Does he only see me as a pitiable pet? What was I to him?
I'm probably just overthinking things. Right? Yeah. I'm just overthinking things.
I need to firm up my boundaries and lay them straight, but I need him at night. I get so scared. The nightmares are worse. If Deaglan's not there, sometimes I feel like I might go mad.