Where Hope Is Found

Light Up

I lay laterally across my bed, sprawled out like I was completely exhausted. I wasn’t the least bit tired though, I was dying of boredom. The week had flown by and it was now Saturday quickly nearing lunch time. The house was completely clean. The yard looked as nice as it was ever going to get while I lived here. I had absolutely nothing to do.  I looked over at Samone. She lay right beside me on her back staring blankly at the ceiling as well.

“Samone, what should we do?”

She didn’t answer, just turned her head facing me with that confused look she always got when I asked her questions. It’s not like it was a life or death interrogation.

“You’re no help,” I said patting her on the nose and sliding off the bed. If only I had a computer or internet on my phone, or even a television. Having no money to spend on things like that wasn’t very entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, working at Leo’s coffee shop was the best job I could get for the moment. He treated me very well, but the pay wasn’t extraordinary. Still, I would never quit until the day came when I could finally drop everything and travel the world. That dream still felt pretty distant though. That thought and my stomach growling caused me to instantly think about Harry. A smile lingered on my lips as I walked over to the window and drew back the curtains. Even the thought of him made me happy. I was definitely smitten with this guy. I’m surprised I wasn’t fighting the urge to fall for him completely by now. With every other guy that had ever expressed any interest in me, that was always the case. I would push him away pretty quickly. I doubted myself so hastily, thinking there was no way a guy could like dreary old me. He was surely just confused.  But with Harry it was so different. I think it was because he made it all so easy for me to fall. He was just there waiting to catch me, and I always trusted him to. This was strange considering my history with guys, which was desperately sad. For a time I thought that I wouldn’t trust another guy for a long while, but it didn’t bother me to think that I trusted Harry as much as I did already. I was still a bit hesitant at times, and very questioning, but that wasn’t a bad thing. The reality was I didn’t know him very well, but if things continued as they were, that would change quickly.

My thoughts were interrupted by another persistent muffled growl and with that I headed into the kitchen. I wasn’t much of a cook so I looked through the cabinets and refrigerator for something simple to whip up. Everything seemed too complicated though. I pulled out a packet of rice that claimed to be Mexican. Why did I even buy this? I was the worst at making any type of Mexican food even though it was my favorite. False hopes I suppose.  I flipped it over to the back to scan through the cooking directions, seeing if it was a realistic option for lunch. The words seemed like one big blur on a paragraph of impossibility so I tossed it back in the cabinet. Opening the refrigerator I looked for some type of sandwich meat. A sandwich was simple. I could do a sandwich. But there was no meat, and looking on top of the refrigerator I saw that there was no bread either. I turned back to the cabinet, eyeing the packet of rice with a determined look. Samone padded into the kitchen and whined a bit, looking up at me with big eyes. I reached back into the cabinet and retrieved the rice once again. Looking back at Samone with that same unwavering gaze I said, “Samone, today I will master the art of making Mexican rice.” She whined again. It almost sounded like a nervous whine. I just laughed though and began to take out a medium sized pot.

“It’s just rice Samone. How hard can it be?”

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Flames shot up from the stove as I continued beating it with a towel. Smoke quickly filled the room and I began to cough, my eyes starting to burn as well. My chest quickly began to feel like it was on fire like the pot in front of me. Samone was barking constantly in the background, sprinting in and out of the room. I beat the flames a couple more times and finally they ceased to be. I threw the hot pan into the sink, the heat going through the towel I had wrapped around the handle and burned my palm.