Ingredients:
step brother
code monkey
okra
gruyere cheese
race track (i substituted a running track)
Spice Pack:
1/3 pinch of reluctance
1/4 smidge of surprise
you finish another lap around the track. 19 so far, and counting.
the sweat rolls down the back of your neck under the glaring texas sun, mid-july. you've nearly diminished your water pack.
still, you could do another lap.
or maybe two - you like finishing on an odd number.
you tell yourself it's been a particularly stressful week, and Dr. Theresa said running was a better outlet than downing another bag of bagel chips with gruyere cheese.
you tell yourself it has nothing to do with Jorge.
1:30pm. his flight must've landed by now, his suitcase stuffed in the trunk of an uber.
fucking 4 day weekend. you just know he's overpacked. his ego takes up a lot of space next to all three laptops you know he's lugging along. whatever. he's just a glorified code monkey for some tiny business in palo alto.
21 laps. you toss out the crumpled plastic bottles.
home smells odd. aroma of frying oil thick in the air. is that okra? mama hasn't made the dish in years. she knows it's your favorite.
But it was Jorge's favorite too.
Figures.