company

I like a moody start to my workday, dark, a bit gloomy. And today I’ve met my mark.

Lights out, air off, nobody around. Colleagues have, at different times, wondered if I was once a vampire, and nickname me The Lone Wolf. I prefer to think of it as a return to the womb, where we all once did our best thinking.

Alas,

today this wolf has company.

Where do they all come from? And why are they here?

Mosquitoes, I get. They breed so quickly and in the interests of survival have to dig into skin. Just in it to win it, unapologetic. They’re here to make a quick buck and move on.

But the buzzards aren’t mosquitoes, this time.

The flies that have joined me, I don’t really understand. Life cycle, purpose, role in our world.

But for some reason, here in Moldy March, they are everywhere. Colleagues share that they remain for a couple weeks and then retreat with the heat.

Buzzing the tower, landing on food, on clothing, on arms, on the back of the neck (that’s the worst one). Gone before I can make contact, looping around and readying for another pass.

And this is the time flies

Time flies

This is the time flies flourish.

Everywhere, just to bother me and mess with my planning.

Shortly after the flies have reached peak, the kids arrive with an agenda for their insect friends.

Get them!

They bounce around the room, happily attempting to swat the incoming raiders. As more kids enter to start their schoolday, the room is abuzz, child and fly alike.

They turn on the lights to better see their foes, cycling in and out the door in an attempt to cleanse.

And my morning return to the womb is put on hold.

Published by Radutti

Teaching in Ha Noi, screwing things up daily but surviving to write about it. ...everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?

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6 Comments

  1. We too have mosquitoes and my son is sure his blood attracts them. 😊. Fortunately we do not have flies a lot. But I remember we were really troubled by them for a week, then they just left, thank God

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  2. “And this is the time flies

    Time flies

    This is the time flies flourish.”

    I love the playful word usage here. Very clever! I haven’t thought of this in years, but I was hearkened back to the 1986? film The Fly with Jeff Goldblum. Maybe it was the Lone Wolf, dark room imagery combined with the details of the flies’ behavior. Love this line too: “the room is abuzz, child and fly alike.” Great slice!

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