Yesterday, Rice-Boy Larry didn't wake up until two p.m. There was nobody left in the Queen Elephant's apartment except for me and him and the dog. The rest of the family was all out doing stuff.
I said, "Are you hungry?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm OK."
"Well, I'm starving."
"Is there anything in the fridge?"
I nodded. "Lots of stuff. But it all sucks ass. Seaweed. Dried fish. Octapus tentacles. That kind of crap."
He turned up his nose. "So what are we going to do?"
"I guess I'll have to take you to a restaurant."
"Isn't that expensive?"
I nodded. "Of course it's expensive. But what other choice do I have?"
While he was taking a shower, I went outside to the local 7-11 and bought a coffee. However, I couldn't find a stirrer to take care of the sugar. So I used some wooden chopsticks instead. The ladies behind the counter looked a tad nonplussed. Therefore, I offered to pay extra for my cup of Joe. But they refused to take the money.
I stepped into the cold air and lit a Marlboro. There's nothing like a hot cup of java and a cigarette. It's my favorite breakfast in the world. The combination of the caffeine and the nictotine really puts a pleasant knot in my ass.
Anyway, Larry and I kept looking for a place to eat, yet most of the establishments were closed. There were signs on the windows saying that they'd be open for business at 5 p.m. However, that was two hours away, and I could hear my stomach rumbling.
We finally found a place that served fried chicken. So I ordered a platter of spicy bird and a pitcher of beer. Meanwhile, my son drank a coke out of a plastic bottle.
Larry said, "Are you disappointed that Mom didn't get the job?"
"Not really. She was going up against 20 other applicants. Plus she doesn't speak Vietnamese or Russian. You would practically have to be a genius just to get your foot in the door."
"I bet it paid well."
I smiled at him. "I kind of doubt it. She could make more at a factory."
"Really?"
I popped some chicken into my mouth and chewed. "Who knows? I talk all the time, but--if the the truth be known--I don't know shit from shinola."
"I think she's going to come back and live with us."
"I kind of doubt it. She'll probably live with her parents and hit us up for money from time to time."
"Are you going to send her any cash in the future?"
I took a healthy swig of beer. "Not on your life. She won't get a dime from me unless she takes me to court."
"Things are always fucked up in our family."
I drank more beer. "That's what happens when you're human. Nothing goes at it should. Just get used to it, or you'll end up jumping in front of a train."
After eating our fill, we walked to the PC cafe. He played some game where a maniac with a machine gun destroys his enemies. The graphics were quite good. I could actually see blood when the bullets entered the victim's body.
Then I read the Korean Herald. It's an English internet newspaper about the daily events on the ROK. Everybody's pissed off because Korea lost an important soccer game. The citizens want the manager's head on a silver platter. But at least Koreans aren't as mad about soccer as the rest of the world. Nobody gets their heads busted over the results of a match. Good for them.
