Dinner

Axel got home with the grocery bag, left it in the kitchen, and went to pee. When he caught himself in the bathroom mirror, he felt that little rush of happiness again. Bruno had given him a seriously great haircut.

He knew tonight would be his last within those walls. Still, he was in a good mood. With the adventure ahead, he could only picture good stuff. Sure, there’d probably be bad moments too, but new ones… and that alone kind of made them good.

Clara and Bruno would be here soon. Eva was supposed to show up any minute too. Before he even started cooking, he turned on the speaker, paired it to his phone, and put some music on. Then he peeked into his room to check, one more time, that everything was ready.

And yep, it was. He’d donated all his useless bits and pieces, and the clothes he didn’t wear anymore, to different people he knew. He’d also taken down all the photos he had stuck to the wall by his bed and packed them into his backpack, which was basically the only thing left in the room. A big green backpack stuffed to the last pocket.

These last few days he’d been sorting what to take, what not to take, and why. Everything had a purpose… and some things even had more than one, like the spork that would work for cereal and also for stabbing the bits of meat he’d cook on his campfire barbecues.

Besides the backpack, the only thing left was a pile of colorful boxes. A bunch of board games. He was going to leave them in the apartment, but then he thought it’d be a good move to give them to Bruno and Clara tonight, after playing one last time.

He loved meeting up with people to play, chat, and just have a good time. And since Bruno and Clara were his most regular game buddies, giving them the games made the most sense. That way they’d actually get used, instead of ending up as dust collectors on some shelf.

In a few days, someone else would rent the apartment he’d been living in, bring their own stuff, and set the room up their way.

Funny, how what was an ending for him would be a beginning for someone else.

He switched off the light in his room and went back to the kitchen, where the music was still playing from the little portable speaker. He pulled out a wooden cutting board, grabbed a knife, and started chopping vegetables.

Cooking to music was such a joy.

He thought about how easy it is to make something tasty and healthy without dropping a bunch of cash at restaurants. You just need a couple of ingredients and to get to it.

He’d already chopped all the green peppers and was just about to grab a red one when it started rolling along the kitchen counter.

That was… weird.

The pepper kept rolling until it fell into the sink.

For a second it freaked him out, but then he calmed down. The laws of nature don’t change. If the pepper had moved, something had to have made it move. And since nobody else was there, he’d probably nudged it with his elbow. It wouldn’t even be the first time.

He picked it up, set it on the board, and chopped it up, just like the green ones. Then he grabbed a frying pan, poured in some olive oil, and set it on one of the burners.

While he waited for the oil to heat up, he took out a couple of garlic cloves and minced them into tiny pieces.

He was finishing up, tossing the garlic and the chopped peppers into the pan, when the music paused and a little chime sounded.

A phone notification. Someone had texted him.

He looked at the screen and read, "Hey Axel, we’re not coming tonight after all, we’re tired and we’re gonna watch a movie. Enjoy the trip, when you’re back we’ll catch up bro!".

A cold feeling went straight through his whole body. The music kept playing, the vegetables kept sizzling in the pan.

He left the phone by the speaker and stared out the kitchen window, but there was only darkness. The sun was completely gone.

Whatever, he knew that last-minute plan-bailing was pretty normal. He also knew how hard it is to find people who actually do what they say they’ll do.

Normally he stopped inviting people who always flake at the last second, but Bruno and Clara usually kept their word.

It sucked not seeing them tonight, but hey, that’s life.

Still, Eva was left. A girl he’d really liked meeting. Deep down he almost felt glad. He’d have time to get to know her better, hear more of her story. She seemed cool.

Even so, she’d said she’d arrive around nine. And it was already ten past nine.

He looked at the pan and enjoyed the little show going on in there, the smell of peppers sautéing over bits of garlic swimming in hot oil.

He turned back to the cutting board and started chopping zucchini and chicken breasts. The music was still playing, making the neurons in his brain dance. He was happy.

An hour later, dinner was ready. No sign of Eva. What was supposed to be dinner for four and a long stretch of board games turned into dinner for one and a bit of thinking.

But honestly, why think so much?

He served himself seconds, it had turned out to be an amazing paella. He kept listening to music and focused on the flavors.

Suddenly, an interesting idea slipped into his head. Why wait until tomorrow? Why not start his trip tonight?

He felt like it, and nothing was stopping him. The moment the idea showed up, he grabbed onto it. Of course.

He finished everything, washed the pan and the plates, and grabbed his backpack.

"Alright, let’s go," he told himself. He picked up the board games too. The plan was to leave them at Bruno and Clara’s salon door, so they’d see them the next day and smile.

The night was crisp, but it wasn’t cold.

The backpack weighed on his back, but not too much.

Perfect.

He walked the same route he’d taken that afternoon toward the hair salon. He set the games down at the foot of the glass door, under the wooden sign that said "Closed", and kept going down the avenue.

He turned left, followed a few more avenues, crossed a bridge, and over there the vibe changed. No more houses, no more paved roads. The ground was dirt, and instead of buildings and streetlights there were trees and darkness.

He’d left the city… and for some reason, even the air smelled different.

It smelled like freedom.