Mr. Spoon and The Chopstick Twins
*This may not be entirely true. If fact, this was a dream I had last night*
I was walking through the streets of Seoul at a leisurely pace. It was an older neighborhood with small buildings, nothing taller than three stories. Also, no digital signs could be seen. Just either cheap neon signs or signs that were just large stickers of Korean letters. Everything had a beige tint to it and a bit on the bright side. I'm not sure if this was a problem in my rods and cones or if everything DID have an beige tint to it. It's not important.
I was hungry, so I walked into a noodle shop. This shop has one dish which is hand cut noodles in a savory broth. This being an one-item-restaurant, you don't have to order. You take a seat, a middle aged lady comes and sets your table for you and in a few minutes there is a steaming, opaque white broth bowl of noodles in front of you. The bowl is simple and heavy and the broth is highlighted with green from zucchini and orange from carrot pieces. I'm by myself but I wait to eat. I'm not sure why I'm waiting. I just am. My spoon looks up at me and asks, "would you like some company?". I pick up the spoon and tell it, "Hello, I'm Jesse. How are you today?" The spoon replies, "Nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Spoon."
"Oh, so you're male?"
"Of course. Can't you tell?"
I take a moment to think about this and decide that it's too much of a bother to argue with a spoon and I reply, "Yes, of course I could tell Mr. Spoon."
Mr. Spoon tell me he brought some friends with him and ask if they can join to. I tell him that it would be fine. He tells me to pick up the chopsticks. "Helloooo", says the chopsticks simultaneously. Mr. Spoon tells me that they are twins and always speak at the same time. "Don't be annoyed by this", he tells me.
"Chopstick twins", I say, "How are you these days?"
"We're great, but aren't you hungry? Let's eat"
I'm suddenly starving. The bowl of noodles looks miniscule all of the sudden. But I should be polite.
"Are you sure it's okay if I use you two to eat? Mr. Spoon, is it alright if I use you as well?"
"Of course", the three of them say together, "We're tools to be used"
I think to myself. Tools huh? But they have names. I can't get over this. I put the three of them down and tip back the bowl and let the noodles wiggle themselves down into my stomach. It's hot but not hot enough that it will burn. It feels good.
"Why aren't you using us?", they half asked and half protested.
"Because you're my new friends.", I say. "Good bye", I tell them and get up to leave. I don't pay.
Why wasn't I freaked out that I just had a conversation with a spoon and a pair of chopsticks? I couldn't figure it out. I decide to go home and take a shower and perhaps a nap. My mind must be tired and a hot shower may just be the ticket.
My home is a small studio on the second floor of an hold brick building. Not bright red brick, but more crimson. My door is made of real wood. I always liked that about my house. "That's a nice fucking door", I tell myself each time I come home.
The inside isn't much though. Just a big square. It has everything I need though: kitchen, bathroom, and desk. I sleep on the floor to save room. I don't bring girls over because it hurts to do it on the floor. I keep telling myself to buy a sleeping pad at least. Oh, well. I head towards the bathroom, taking off my clothes as I walk and throwing them in a corner. I do this quickly because if I don't, I'll still be in my underwear by the time I get to the shower.
The shower feels good. I'm not fussy about what I use on my body, but I'm not such a minimalist either. I have shampoo, body soap (two kinds at that. both the gel type), and conditioner. One of the body soap bottles is an transparent orange. This product is marketed as having vitamin C and good for the skin. "Can my skin absorb vitamin C?", I ask myself. The other bottle has more of a moisturizing effect and the bottle is a thick cream color. You can't see through this bottle. I finish washing my hair. It takes awhile because my hair is quite long. I decide to use the vitamin C body wash today because the smell of citrus always makes me feel bright and good. I can see there is about a third left in the bottle. I go to use it and as my hand extends it tells me, "Don't wait till it's empty to refill it".
"What?"
"Don't wait till it's empty to refill it", it says again.
Hmm. This is by far the weirdest day I've had in awhile. I tell it, "O.K." I push the head down and out comes the citrus scented soap. I lather while shaking my head.
The other bottle tells me not to worry. "Vita C is just in a bad mood."
"You see, she is see through and I'm not. She's always been jealous about this."
"Is that right?"
"Yes. She feels that the whole world just sees through her"
"Well she IS transparent."
"Bingo"
"Bingo?"
"Bingo"
I rinse off and step out to dry myself.
"What am I doing with my life?" I, out of the blue, thought to myself. "I live in a box." "Am I happy?". These types of thoughts slowly seeped into my conscience. I look at the clock. It's a simple clock. The kind with arms and the background is a pleasant pastel taro color. It's 3:45 in the afternoon. "Time flies", I think to myself. I wonder what Mr. Spoon and the Chopstick Twins are doing. I hope they don't forget me. I suddenly feel lonely. I look back at the clock 3:46. Yeah, time won't forsake me. It blankets me just like the oxygen and nitrogen molecules surround me. I'm permeated with a warm calm. I look back at the clock: 4:55.
"huh?"
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just doing my job.", the clock said.
"You can't move on your own like you just did. It's important that you stay accurate. Precise.", I protested.
"Why? Am I not free to move my own minutes and hours as I please? I didn't choose to be a clock. I didn't want this responsibility."
I'm flustered. Sweat is starting to form on my forehead, rolling down near the edge of my eye.
I walk over to the sink and wash my face with cold water. I look into a mirror expecting to not see my reflection. But like always there it is. I look at my face. It looks like me.
"What a weird day", I say. But my reflect seems to be mouthing something different.
I repeat what I just said and look closely at my mouth. It doesn't match. I say it a third time.
"What a weird day." [Water brings nothing to the party] my reflection mouths.
I close my eyes and think about this. Water brings nothing to the party…
The darkness gets brighter. So bright that I have to open my eyes to stop from going blind. The sight is breathtaking.
