A cat watches me walk back to\u00a0my house\u00a0against the wind.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you take the trash out?\u201d my friend\u00a0asks. \u201cTomorrow\u2019s garbage day.\u201d<\/p>\n
I look at the white bag choked around the rim of the trashcan. It\u2019s full. I put my backpack down, undo the knot, and pull up the bag.<\/p>\n
I walk to the street and open the lid of the bin. I look inside. Someone once told me to be careful when I open the lids of trash bins because\u00a0rats sometimes feed on leftovers inside. I drop the bag into the empty bin and close the lid.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you eat?\u201d my friend\u00a0asks back inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I\u2019m going to make ramen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I fill a pot with water and put it on the stove. I pull a packet of noodles from a drawer, tear the packet, and empty the noodles into the pot. We\u00a0watch the noodles unfold.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want an egg?\u201d<\/p>\n
She opens the fridge and pulls out two eggs. I open another packet of noodles and empty them into the pot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsn\u2019t you know who\u00a0graduating soon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
She cracks the eggs and lets the yolks spill onto the pan. I stir the noodles in the pot. Steam rises from the water. I open the window over the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s raining.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got back at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u00a0pull two bowls from the cabinet and place them on the counter.<\/p>\n
“I can cut some vegetables,” I say.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I’ll do it. I don’t trust you.” She washes green onions in the sink and dices them. The smell of the onions mixes with the smell\u00a0of the rain outside.<\/p>\n
I turn off the burner and empty the pot into the two bowls.<\/p>\n
She picks up a handful of diced green onions and drops them into the bowls. She waves her hand in and out of the steam, and the steam hugs her fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre the eggs ready?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d She scrapes off the eggs and slides them onto the noodles. I carry the bowls to the table. We talk about time, and meaning, and smallness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A cat watches me walk back to\u00a0my house\u00a0against the wind. \u201cCan you take the trash out?\u201d my friend\u00a0asks. \u201cTomorrow\u2019s garbage day.\u201d I look at the white bag choked around the rim of the trashcan. It\u2019s full. I put my backpack … Continue reading