The Dark and Silent Lake

(Mom says that she'll probably die soon.)

Yesterday, I woke up at 5 a.m. and drank a cup of instant coffee. Then I read the headlines on my smartphone while taking a nasty shit. A 60-year-old geezer from Okcheon went into the mountains to hunt for game. He saw a wild pig drinking from a stream and filled the beast with lead. Unfortunately, the boar wasn’t actually a boar. Instead, it was a man in his 30s who was searching for crayfish. The poor bastard is now as dead as a doornail, and his killer will probably have to spend a year in prison for the crime.

I prepared bacon and hash browns for my son. He was sitting at the kitchen table working on a math assignment.

I said, “Tonight, we have to order more supplies from Coupang.”

Rice-Boy Larry rolled his eyes. “I’m so tired all the time.”

“Well, if you want to eat, then you’ll have to help me out.”

“What do we need?”

“Lots of things. More bacon. More hash browns. More bottles of water. More dumplings. More French fries. The list goes on and on. You eat like a horse.”

He shot me the stink eye. “Take a look at yourself. You aren’t exactly slim.”

“That’s true. But I’ve lost a lot of blubber over the last year. I’m still down close to sixty pounds.”

I used to be a giant fat ass, topping the scales at 260 lbs. However, I’m now a svelte 206. I really need to she another 26, yet that would take a miracle. I’ve been static at this weight for nearly five months. My diet usually consists of three jelly donuts for breakfast, the school lunch, and dumplings plus French fries for dinner. I’m not going to bitch and complain. I feel comfortable and healthy these days.

I caught the bus to work and arrived at my office at 7:30 a.m. Then I drank another cup of instant coffee before calling my mom over Facebook Messenger.

She said, “Thanksgiving is right around the corner.”

I nodded. “Yup. I haven’t had turkey in over fifteen years. But I don’t really miss it too much.”

“It’s not about food, son. The holiday is more about family.”

“That’s true. Yet modern technology is amazing. I’m halfway around the globe, but I can still speak with you as if we were in the same room.”

“Don’t be fooled. Technology is a mere devilish illusion. It’s nice to touch the ones you love.”

I sighed heavily. “I want to return to America in the worst possible way.”

“So why don’t you quit your job and hop on a plane?”

“I’m too afraid. I’ve got a somewhat stable gig and great health insurance. And if I go back to the States, the only job I’ll be able to land is slinging fast food at the Chik-Fil-A drive through. I’m too old for that type of shit. Hell, I don’t think I could even stand up for eight hours straight.”

She took a long sip of cola. “I understand. However, remember one thing. My door is always open if you decide to change your mind. Yet don’t take too long. I’m not sure how long I’ll actually be around in the future.”

Mom’s not above using guilt to get her own way.

My day at school went well. I’m currently reading a death poem called The Snow-Shower with my high school crew. All the snowflakes drop into the dark and silent lake only to evaporate as if they had never even existed. Good stuff. I think that Mom would love it. 

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