Boredom and Bacon

As I stood in my classroom, I took a look around. I realized my usual seat was vacant, and swiftly went to the spot to claim it. As I dropped my backpack under the table, the lecturer stood up and started his introduction.

“Hello, my name is Mark Wright. I’m going to teach you linear algebra…”

Shit! Math! I can’t even rest for a moment. Gimme a break!

I let out a heavy sigh as I sat down in my seat. I smacked my cheeks, trying to keep myself awake for the class.

I looked at my phone, checking if there were any notifications. No message, no missed call, no tags, no mention, nothing. I started to miss texting her as the class went on.

Time flew by, I spent my lunch in the cafeteria as I finally got a seat there, and took two more classes before the clock reached five o’clock.

With the clock at five, I dashed off to Sport Aula 3. Arrived, I wanted to play some basketball to cure my boredom, only to find out that there were few students lined up like me and Carlos did yesterday. Curious, I checked inside, and there was the coach instructing the senior to conduct another drill.

Looking around, I don’t see Jamal or Carlos, neither I was familiar with any of the faces. If I’m not wrong, this is the second batch of students trying to join the team.

Realizing that I shouldn’t interrupt them, I left the scene and headed home.

Soon, I arrived at my home sweet home. I greeted my parents and asked my dad for practice. We played basketball until it was quite late. After dinner and a bath, I took my phone to text her again.

“Hey Jessica, how’s your day?”

I don’t know if she is free, bored, or needed someone to talk to, but she quickly replied to me. Now, I started to wonder if she is a human, or some sort of a reply machine.

“Ugh! It was a disaster! I woke up late and almost late for my class.”

“Wait, you too? You know what? I dashed off to class like a charging rhino. I was a reek of sweat and my hair was so messed up. Ha-ha-ha!”

I followed the message with a “ROFL” emoticon.

“Lol, don’t send me those pictures, or I’ll save them.”

Her reply was followed by a grinning bunny mascot character. I could only laugh at her as she teased me about yesterday.

“Oh no, I won’t do that anymore. I’m not as sexy as yesterday. Lol.”

“HA-HA-HA”

She followed her message with a laughing bunny mascot character.

We chatted with each other until 10 PM, right before I decided to end our conversation there.

“Hey, we should stop. If we don’t take a rest soon, we are going to repeat this day over again.”

She replied to my message with a laughing emoticon before she chained it with another.

“Sure, I don’t want to be late again XD. Nite Keith!”

“Good night!”

I put the phone away and laid myself on my bed. Now, it’s time for me to rest up, saving my energy for tomorrow.

And so, the boring days at my university continued. From Wednesday to Friday, I couldn’t play basketball at my university, considering the Aula was used to test another batch of students.

The only thing that kept me from being bored in these three days was when I was practicing basketball with my dad, or when I was texting her at night.

Three days went quickly and now it’s Saturday, August 18th, 2023. Opening my eyes, I was welcomed by a warm ambiance as the sunlight made its way to my room.

I stretched my arms, greeting the morning sun. Looking at my phone screen, the screen shows that it’s 6:21 in the morning.

Whew, there are around three and a half hours until meeting with them. Oh well, I’m bored. I guess I could go there early to play some basketball.

Deciding to go sooner than originally planned, I stuffed these few things in my backpack: A water bottle, a sports towel, and a T-Shirt for a change of clothes.

I took sporty boxershorts, sports shorts, and a tank top to the bathroom before I took a shower. After I wore them, I hoisted my backpack and went downstairs.

Before I could arrive at the dining room, the juicy smell of roasted bacon lured me in. Tempted by the tantalizing scent, my mouth was filled with water. I would have drooled if I didn’t hold myself back.

Looking at the dining table, there are a few plates with the same dishes. Now I know what dish piques my nose: A few slices of roasted bacon, a sunny side egg, a pancake drizzled with maple sauce, and two sausages.

However, I was focusing on the dish too much. I didn’t realize that my parents were sitting at the dining table.

“Good morning, son!” My dad greeted me.

Oops! How could I forget to greet them? Ah! I should not get distracted by the food any further! Focus Keith!

“Good morning, Dad, Mom.”

“Good morning, son. Wash your hands before you eat.” My mom greeted me back. She seemed to be irritated because I didn’t greet her earlier.

I gulped. How could I get distracted by food that badly? I didn’t even remember to wash my hands.

Sparing no time to waste, I went to the washbasin, washing my hands. With my hands clean and dry, I swiftly sat down at the dining table, rubbing my hands before eating the dish before me.

As it emits a strong smell, I couldn't stop myself from avoiding the temptation of the food any longer.

“Mom, Dad, let’s eat!”

Before they could even reply, I had pounced on the table wares: a fork in my left hand and a dinner knife in my right. Cutting the bacon pieces into small slices, I pierced the meat with the trident on my hand, putting it into my mouth.

Oh my God!

The tender, juicy piece of meat was a delight to my tongue, a paradise to my mouth. Savoring the delish taste, I felt like I was flying in the clouds. Not only the bacon, but the other dishes were delicious as well.

It didn't take long until I devoured everything on my plate. My fuel tank filled up with the product of motherly love, energizing me for my upcoming basketball practice.

Finishing such an amazing meal, I could only say this: my mom’s cooking is comparable to five-star restaurants. No, to compare her cooking to five-star restaurant chefs would be rude to her. She cooked for our family every day, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

My heart was moved when I thought about how she took care of us. Before I knew it, tears were accumulating in my eyes like a water dam about to overflow.

She is such a blessing to this family.

Wiping my watery eyes, I bowed my head to my mother.

“Mom, thank you for the meal. Thank you for all you have done for us, cooking such delicious meals every day. Once again, thank you, Mom.”

Hearing my gratitude, my mom smiled widely. Happiness is shown on her face as she smiles at me.

“Thank you, my son. There’s no greater joy for a mother than to see her son grow up happily, and there’s no greater joy for a cook than to see people enjoy their food. Anything for you, my beloved son.”

My mother patted my head gently a few times, showing her affection for me. However, my dad seemed to want to get my attention as well, he gently nudged my arm with his elbow.

“Hey, son, don’t forget about me too! I’m your dad, you know?” He ended his question with a smile.

“Yes, of course, Dad! I love you both.” I smiled at him.

While looking at my father, I caught a glance at the clock. With the clock showing forty-eight past seven, I decided to start walking toward the park. I bowed to my parents before I left.

“Mom, Dad, I will go to Kelloch & Velasco Park to play some basketball with my friends.”

“Sure, have fun, my son!” My mom waved.

“Street basketball huh? It’s going to be fun. Son, kick their asses.” My dad grinned while giving a thumbs up.

I hoisted my backpack, waving at my parents before I left the house.

“Bye Mom, Dad!”

As I went through the door, I was greeted by the captivating sight of a bustling street in the morning. Stepping outside of my house, my clothes and hair are ruffled by the cool morning breeze. It was such good weather, the sun was not hot either, as it gently shined upon the earth through the gaps in the clouds.

Ahhh… Such a beautiful day…

Slowly walking through the sidewalks, I looked around to see my surroundings. There are a few stalls around, selling hotdogs and French fries. There’s no wonder that they set some stalls up, there are a lot of pedestrians in the streets, enlivening the usually quiet environment with their chatter.

However, as soon as I arrived at the park, my good morning vibe was quickly overridden. How could I not? In front of me, I saw Brandon doing some practice alone. Any other sounds were drowned out by the sound of his squeaking shoes and the bouncing sound of the basketball.

Wait, didn’t Brandon tell me that we will meet at ten o’clock? Why did he come early?

I took my smartphone from my pocket to see what time it was, which displayed 8:04 AM on the screen, before I looked at him again and dropped my jaws.

I am not dreaming, am I?