Everything Is Fine, In General

“He is not a burglar per se,” I said, “I mean, he did break in, but he did not steal anything. He just sort of… moved in."

"What does your wife think about it?"

"She was livid at first, but now I think she’s learned to deal with it. She offers him to join us at meals, but he politely refuses."

"Does he eat out?"

"No, he has his own food. It’s always neatly labeled. With different names, though, so I think it might be stolen. I would hate it if the police raided our house because of it. But anyway, we just need to remember not to eat the things that are labeled. Those are his."

"What about the kids?"

"Toby likes him. They sometimes play catch in the backyard. I don’t like his friends so much, but he keeps them separate from Toby."

"What about your daughter?"

"I think she is sort of dating him. Or maybe they’re not exclusive, but there is some chemistry. Well, it’s complicated at this point."

"So what are you going to do?”

I hefted up the empty plastic barrel, put it at the back of my truck. There were four more waiting in the garage. “I gotta haul these out,” I said. Birds were singing in the trees, the sun was shining, chasing away the morning cool. Spring was beginning.

Posted by: Paweł Kowaluk