Work Text:
In the mist of an early autumn morning, George Harrison took in a breath of the crisp cold air. The fog was thin but present and the temperature was just under uncomfortably cool. Light jackets and gloves were worn, but the tender face of the sex icon who was once the youngest Beatle, was now the long face of a middle aged man, that was exposed to the frigid temperature. Yet despite the minor discomfort the musician was determine to complete his morning chore. Taking a hardy rake, Harrison in his late-30s proceeded to collect the fallen tree debris into a neat little pile in a handful of seconds. It wasn’t anything spectacular, just a collection of brittle leaves. Then the man walked to another section, gathered the multicolored rubble into another cluster.
Once a few piles were created, the musician lit a cigarette and watched the smoke form heavy in the cold air. After completing the task, the famous man doing a mundane chore leaned on his rake and stared at the massive yard he had. So much chaos had transpired in George’s life, he ached for moments like these. Normal, every day experiences most take for granted, like tidying up ones yard. Although, his property was far from average. The rock n roll star definitely lived the life of extraordinary means, but every now and then it was nice to do something so humble and get down into the earth itself. Extinguishing the cigarette, George took in the scent of earth before lighting another white stalk of nicotine.
Squirrels were gathering nuts from tree to tree, his gray cat Smokey was chilling out on a stump watching him work, and a V line of geese flocked across the sky in the cold crisp autumn atmosphere. It was a beautiful sight as the man who had a wild life just took in the moment, but then looking across his yard, the Lord of the house realized there was much left to do. He was tired and his hands ached, going inside seemed like a nice idea. Heating, along with a warm beverage, was a powerful temptress for the aging celebrity. Still, he moved to the next area and began to form another collection of leaves, then another and another.
Running the rake along, the man would create a trail of neatly combed grass, as it fell in the manner it was manicured. The hibernating plant laid dormant as it folded down in the direction of the garden tool, humbly clinging to the ground. It accompanied not only with the sound of the crackling leaves, but the drag of the earth and scrapes of small stones. Acorns, broken branches and tilled soil joined the collection as piles and more piles were created, causing a polka dot effect from an aerial view of his property.
After a good solid hour of yard work the man reviewed his efforts with a sense of pride. The Harrison home still had acres of work left, but in this area, all the leaves were neatly filed, awaiting their inevitable fate. There was no wheel barrow, bags or anything to gather the well organized litter. Just the sound of a door opening and closing could be heard. Looking up, George could see his wife Olivia leaving their house. She was dressed warmly for being outside while holding their two-year-old son, Dhani in her arms. Bundled up nice and tight, the child squirmed wanting to be let down.
Little cries of an excited boy, seeking freedom over parental protection, as he jolted his body towards the ground. The mother obliged upon reaching the father, releasing the impulsive child upon the organized labor. Without remorse, the toddler pounced on each pile, spreading leaves across the space. Dhani terrorized each cluster, like Godzilla on the city of Japan. High pitch screeches, accompanied with laughter, filled the cold air, as the toddler blissfully played, oblivious of the effort behind such sport. The parents laughed at their child’s wild like nature and when the toddler was through the family went inside to warm up. As they did so, the landscapers crew arrived with electric leaf collectors.
Within minutes the space was cleaned up, revealing all of the hibernating grass on his land. Everything was now properly groomed and the leaf litter taken to the compost pile. George watched from a window in his house, while drinking a cup of tea in his bathrobe. Meanwhile, Olivia was bathing their son in the tub. The father, husband and legendary musician was grateful he could have moments like these, without the hassle of having to actually do the chore. Life was good when you found a way to enjoy the best of both worlds.