Nick had sat with his few belongings for several hours, silently staring at the small avenue in front of his former residence. He pondered the implications of his poor judgment and dishonesty repeatedly in his head and following hours of somber contemplation he began to think about where he would go, what he would do, and how he could restructure his life to compensate for the loss of his best friend, lover, and confidante. Although the fox felt burdened by the poignancy of the final exchange he had with Judy, he decided that it would be best to find a place where he could talk to someone he trusted in order to get a better idea of how he needed to alter his life to deal with this transition.

Since Nick didn't know many kind souls (aside from Judy) or have any friends, the fox decided that he had to move back in with his mother. Although this course of action was not ideal, Nick acknowledged that he had few choices as he did not own any property in Zootopia and he didn't feel that he could adequately pay for a hotel with the money in his wallet. At one point, Nick considered paying a visit to his bank; however, he silently conceded that his bank would not be open so late in the afternoon on a Sunday. Coming to terms with the reality of his unfortunate situation, Nick walked to the subway station, paid the fare, and boarded a subway heading to the outer reaches of Zootopia's downtown. After nearly half an hour on the Inner Loop line of the Zootopia subway, he reached the Herd Street station, and after exiting the station he glanced at the many mammals who were now returning to the residential portions of the metropolis's downtown after a weekend of travel, excursions to tourist locations, trips to renowned downtown restaurants, shopping at posh Zootopian boutiques, and brief family sojourns to summer houses outside of the city. Though he was happy to once again return to the neighborhood in which he was raised, Nick felts an acute sense of discomfort at being in a community he once vowed never to return to. Moreover, the day's events had left him steeped in sorrow and regret, but Nick acknowledged that he had to return to living in the present. Grasping the majority of his possessions clumsily under his left arm, he grabbed his phone from his pocket and called his mother. Following a few moments of ringing, his mother picked up the phone:

"Oh Nick, it is so good to hear your voice again, it seems that sometimes you just never call. Don't worry though, I understand that being a strong policeman can be tough demanding work. Anywho, what is it that you are calling about darling?"

"Well mom," began Nick hesitantly, "I just got off of the subway at Herd Street. You know Herd Street Station right? It's the one just a few blocks north of the house."

"You mean the metro station near the old coffee shop owned by Mr. McHorn?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Anyway, I am here and I was wondering if I could stay in the house for a while, I'm not sure for how long, but it would mean the world to me if I could just sleep at home for a while. And don't worry I will still be going to work every day, so you don't need to entertain me, I just need somewhere to stay and I don't want to pay for a hotel suite today. Is that alright?"

"Why of course sweetie, but I have to ask, why can't you sleep in your apartment, did something happen, was there a fire, were you evicted, please tell me."
"Here's the thing mom, the people at the apartment complex are doing inspections this week because there's been some rumors of lice, bed bugs, insects, etc. infesting the flats, so they recommend that we get out as soon as possible so they can fix the apartments. Unfortunately, they made the announcement so abruptly I didn't have time to arrange any other accommodations, sorry I didn't notify you earlier."

"Oh you poor thing! Insects, how terrible! And there's no need to apologize either, there will always be a place for you at home, and you probably have your things with you don't you? Well, just hurry over, I'll be waiting."

"Thanks, mom, I will be there soon, bye and love ya.'"

Making his way down the streets of his native neighborhood, Nick felt reinvigorated to once again be back in a location where he would have family and other foxes. The latter element was especially important to Nick because he rarely found himself in the company of other foxes when he resided in the district near Precinct No. 1. Furthermore, Nick's confidence was bolstered by the knowledge that he was journeying through an area of Zootopia where the denizens shared a common religion with himself. Although he rarely told his coworkers and closest friends, Nick's family had raised him as a devout Mormon, and Nick's rebellious behaviour during his adolescence had been primarily aimed to dissociate himself from the principles, doctrines, and beliefs held by the Mormon community. In fact, the saturation of Mormon congregations and actively practising Mormons in that area granted the neighborhood its vernacular moniker, "Y-Town", after the renowned Mormon leader and pioneer Brigham Young whose name was included on statues, monuments, and street names throughout the Mormon enclave. Although many people viewed him as a natural troublemaker and scammer, Nick's actions were not heavily influenced by innate tendencies; rather, they were a reaction to the strict moral code and austere rejection of individualism that existed in the Church of Latter Day Saints. Since he had progressed passed his rebellious years Nick had once again affiliated himself with the church, making earnest attempts to become a Mormon and make his mother, who was a pious Mormon, proud of him again.

Nick had now walked three blocks, continually maintaining his balance while ensuring that he abstained from dropping any of his few valuables that he had brought with him from the flat. Within twenty minutes of leaving the station, Nick had rounded the corner of his boyhood street, Cypress Grove Lane, a street whose very name filled his soul with nostalgia and silent remembrance of a bygone epoch, bereft of complication or anxiety. Coming to the third bungalow on his right, he observed his mother's flower garden, which graced the small strip of ground in between the house's dated portico and the lawn of well-maintained grass. Before approaching the house, Nick regarded the facade of the home in which he had spent so much of his early life, a place where he learned the meaning of responsibility, love, and independence. Deciding to step onto the whitewashed portico, Nick felt comfortable once more as he remembered what it was like to frolic during the humid summer days of his youth, capering as young boys do during periods of youthful bliss. The foxes hazy recollections of past joys and ecstasy nearly brought him to tears, but he decided it would be best to relieve his weary arms of their burden. Nick rapped the door with his knuckles, choosing to announce his arrival in a more personal manner, which was significantly more valuable than a mere ringing of the doorbell.

Within seconds, the door swung open as Nick's mother welcomed her son home with a warm hug and a heartfelt kiss on the cheek. Nick could clearly see that his mother was elated to see her baby boy once again after so many years. Though they had frequently talked on the phone, it was unmistakably true that the value of a face-to-face meeting could never be substituted by verbal interaction.

"Oh Nicholas, it's so good to see you again after all this time."

"I know, it's good to see you too mom," answered Nick with a warm compassionate smile.

"You're carrying quite a bit I see!" observed Nick's mother as she glanced down at the possessions Nick held firmly under his arm, "Come inside and set your things down, relax, feel at home. This whole insect ordeal must have been rather stressful."

"Well, that's definitely true," remarked Nick, nearly forgetting the fictitious justification for his stay which he had told his mother earlier.

"And don't worry about your room, I kept it just the way you left it, of course I've done some tidying up over the years, but it is otherwise the same room. Naturally, if you would like to sleep here on the divan I would understand-the bed is probably somewhat small for you now."

"I think you right, it would be best if I sleep on the divan," intentionally calling the old velvet couch a "divan" for his mother and her own happiness, for she often referred to average household items using more elaborate nomenclature in order to give the appearance of being cultured and rich.

"Sounds great honey, I will let you do whatever you want tonight, you just need to take a load off."

Grateful for being received with such affection, Nick began to thank his mother for her hospitality:

"You know mom, you have always been there for me, especially in times like these where I need somebody to lean on."

"Oh it's no problem dear. If anything, I am grateful that you came back; it's been lonely after you left and all the relatives have passed on or moved away. The only other one that actually stayed in Zootopia was Will-"

"Please don't talk about William mom," interrupted Nick desperately, "I never want to hear his name again. That guy simply disgusts me, after what he did…"

"Honey, that was so long ago, why don't you just move on? You know he was just trying to help you; you were going through a difficult stage in life and he was just trying to be a good older brother."

"Oh yeah," began Nick sarcastically as he rolled his eyes, "reporting me to the municipal police was a really caring thing for him to do. He has been such a good big brother."

"Nick! I won't tolerate sass in this house, stop now or you'll be sleeping somewhere else! Got it?"

Calming down considerably, Nick began to regain his composure, "Got it. Sorry about that mom, it's just… Well, my relationship with Bill has been strained-to put it lightly-and I just haven't completely forgiven him for what he did yet."

"I understand, let's just forget about it for now, I'm sorry I mentioned him, he's not even here right now."
"Yeah, he's in downtown Zootopia, living in a big penthouse on Peak Street, probably making millions in the stock market!" added Nick morosely as he remembered his older brother's wealth, occupational success, and business acumen.

"How did he get so lucky? It's not important now," thought Nick silently, "I just need to focus on how to put the pieces of my life back together after my falling out with Judy."

"So how's life on the police force?" inquired Nick's mother as she went to the kitchen to get Nick a glass of water.

"Oh... it's okay I guess." answered the fox as he took a seat on a nearby recliner and emitted a heavy sigh. "Definitely not fantastic, but I am making enough to survive."

"Well, that's good to hear, and here's some water if you'd like it." handing a glass of ice-cold water to her son, "Also, I have to ask, and I don't mean to offend you in any way, but are you dating yet, I know you really were never that interested in meeting someone when you were younger, but I am just curious to know if you've found anyone."

Almost too uncomfortable to answer his mother's question, Nick ultimately replied, "I actually am seeing someone, her name is Judy, she's not originally from Zootopia-she's more of a country girl- but she is nice and friendly."

"Oh she seems very nice, tell me a bit about her."
Hoping to omit the fact that Judy was a bunny from his description, Nick said, "Um, she is kind of short, she has beautiful purple eyes, she is pretty athletic, definitely determined, and above all she is really optimistic about everything; in fact she became a police officer so she could make the world a better place."

"Wow, short with purple eyes! I can honestly say that I have never seen a fox with purple eyes, and a police officer, how interesting, is that how you two met. Of course you have to tell your mother how you met your dream girl."

"Well, you're sort of right that we met while working on a case; actually, it was the case where Mayor Lionheart and assistant Mayor Bellwether were incarcerated."

"Oh yes, I heard about that on the news a while ago."

"Anyway, we were working on the case and we just hit it off."

"It's so nice to hear that one of my sons has finally found a girl! I wanted to keep it a secret, but do you know that Bill hasn't found a wife yet, and he is a full three years older than you!"

"You're kidding, that's genuinely surprising!"

"Yep, and he's been looking for so many years to find someone to be the apple of his eye."

"By the way mom, how have you been healthwise?"

"Oh I try to be as healthy as I can. I keep up on my gardening daily, and I never neglect to keep myself hydrated at all times."

"Of course that's good to hear. Well," concluded Nick as he glanced at a large wooden pendulum clock resting on the mantel above the bungalow's fireplace, "it's almost 6 o'clock, I should probably go and grab some Chinese food, I can get you something from the restaurant if you want, mom. Do you know if Wong Ching's restaurant is still open over on Burrow Boulevard?"

"Yes, it's still open, but I can cook you something at home if you want."

"No, it's fine I'll go, it's not that far and it would be nice to get some fresh air after such a hectic day."

"Fine, but if you are going, order some eggplant, Szechuan green beans, and General Tso's chicken."

"No problem" responded Nick as he took his coat and walked out the front door of the bungalow.

Now that the friendly palaver was over between Nick and his mother, Nick had time and space to think about his life and question how he would change his routine in the near future.

After retrieving and returning with the food after a relatively uneventful trip to Wong Ching's, Nick sat down at the dinner table and shared his food with his mother while engaging in pleasant small talk about the past. Finally deciding that it was time to sleep, Nick bedded down on the divan with a wide assortment of colorful blankets and went to sleep, content that he was home after so many years.