The sound of running water was so loud in that little apartment, the echo filling the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, and the bedroom. Other than water, there was a clattering of plates and a man gently humming a song. The song was abruptly cut by a sudden crash and shatter. The bowl dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Oh, look at that, Noah." the voice of another man came from the living room, "You broke another one, didn't I tell you to be careful? Let me clean it up."
"No, you sit down, I'll do it." Noah said, a smile present in his voice, "You're always so busy."
"And you're a busybody."
There was a chuckle, "You love me for that though, right, Ethan?"
The rough hands that once did heavy work ever so gently tried to pick up the pieces one by one without being wounded. He smiled as he went through his chore, not complaining. A picture frame lay on the kitchen counter; two men standing beside each other, one holding up a bouquet of flowers and the other holding up two diplomas, smiling cheekily at the camera. Their noses and cheeks were tinted with red, making them stand out in the white snow. They both wore red scarves which was probably the best present they could come up with with their adolescent minds. The flakes stayed in the air, frozen in time, captured in a picture. And so did they.
Noah wiped his hands on the towel and slowly walked toward the living room. It was a long way to the living room from the kitchen.
"It's been a week since I've done any chores, you know?" he chuckled, leaning on a wall to stall.
"Okay, and? Are you proud of that??" Ethan shouted from the living room.
"I knew you'd nag. You always nag, why can't you praise me for once?" There was jesting in his voice. He continued to walk to the kitchen counter, stopping there.
"If you didn't want me to nag, you should have done the dishes a long time ago. If not, then you could have let me do it, you don't ever let me do anything these days. You've become paranoid."
"Have I? It's better to be careful, that's what you always say, right?"
"But not in this context, you... always break stuff!" Ethan protested.
"If I let you do some chores, will you be happy? Are you not happy if I do things for you?"
"That's not... what I mean. You know I can't stay still, you know that. I have to do something. Especially since I got laid off work."
"Laid off?" Noah asked worriedly, "You know they didn't fire you."
"No, they did. It's because I've become weak, and they don't think I can do my work properly. What kind of bullshit is that??"
"Ethan... If you'd have stayed in work, would you have not become so stressed?"
"What kind of... You make it sound like work is my love. You know I love you more, why do you sound like that? What's taking you so long anyway? Come over here, hurry up."
Noah picked up the picture he was looking at and continued to walk to the living room, his steps were heavy and slow.
"Say, do you remember that time we graduated?"
"You mean when we barely graduated?" Ethan giggled, "You were such a big ass. "
Noah tread slowly toward the living room, dragging his legs as he clutched the frame in his hands.
Ethan continued, " I don't understand why so many women liked you. You were really a rascal. You're sweet honeytrap smile lured those little butterflies, ugh, I shiver only thinking about it. So many women. You were so fake. It makes me wonder, you know? Why did you choose me? There were so many women and you chose me. Do you know how much you ruined your life to be with me?" His tone started to change from merely jesting to a somber one.
Noah remained quiet and continued walking.
"I'm sick of feeling like this. I'm tired of thinking I was the reason you gave all of it up. I'm so tired of being sick. If only I was healthy. Maybe, if only I was a woman, would that have been better? What could I have done for you? What could I do for you?"
"Noah... you know you have to go on by yourself someday... I can't be here forever. You can't even wash the dishes without breaking something. You make it seem like there's a flood when you mop the house."
Noah froze. Just a few more steps and he'd turn at that curve to go into the living room.
"That's what you'd say, isn't it?" he walked and turned, "Isn't it?" he repeated as he glanced over the living room.
There was no one there. He fell to his knees and cradled his head between them, "Answer me..."
In that picture, two little boys smiled at the camera, filled with innocence and the bliss of adolescence, not knowing the fate which the future would bring them. The snow was frozen in time. The smiles were frozen in time. And so were they.
43Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdegbq7Quj6
ns 15.158.61.51da2Memento Mori - "Remember, you must die."
