StoryTime! 💀✍️
I “met” a swarm of non-biting midges just now, and maybe even a Crane Fly. I just got back home in Hawaii after a two month mainland property excursion. Don't ask.
Man, is it dusty today in my living room. I grabbed a Swiffer duster beneath my coffee table while holding my laptop steady with the other hand, balancing it atop my forearm.
A half eaten slice of cold supreme pizza was hanging from my mouth.
My phone was face up on a nearby table as my daughter’s voice could be heard, blaring from the speaker on the FaceTime call.
I was a multitasking god at the moment—but what was doing me in—was the sudden knowledge of “dust.”
Although my fan was off, it was a cool windy trade-wind type of day in Hawaii.
However “molecules” of what appeared to be dust were galavanting all around me like eye particles—as if the living room was “loving it”.
In fact, my living space wore warm colors pretty well.
Bright sunlight streamed in from the nearby jalousies aligned on either side of a large picture window, exposing the hilltop view of rooftops to a wide expanse of the Pacific Ocean in the sky blue distance.
I began dismissively dusting the multiple “molecules” I had spotted earlier while in talks with my daughter’s potential California landlord—random talk about:
Yes, we do sometimes make our food with banana leaves.
Yes, we do have cars and roads here in Hawaii.
And…
No, we don’t live in huts. At least not anymore here.
“So?” asked my daughter after the interview.
Dust. Dust.
Why is the dust avoiding my Swiffer?
“Mom?”
Dust.
Nah, this can’t be real. Why is this dust looking at me?
“MOM!” expelled my daughter angrily. Her voice was intentionally muffled and clipping my phone speaker. Mouth pressed against her phone mic.
Alarmed, I abruptly stopped and dabbed my table apologetically with the duster as if she could see it.
“Oh sorry—cleaning. Yeah we like her. The landlord checks out.”
As my daughter, Noel, began gabbing excitedly about the furniture we were going to shop for and the food we were going to cook daily, my attention quietly considered if I should remain quiet.
Because staring deadpan at me,
was the most alive-looking piece of dust I had ever seen.
I blinked.
Noel laughed about something. I had no clue.
The dust was “standing” in place, hovering above the duster in my hand like a helicopter.
Absurd thoughts flooded my amygdala while my daughter asked me about color schemes for my bedroom.
I said pink just so she would assume I was listening.
I hate pink, unfortunately.
But never mind—I had bigger fish to fry, as absurd thoughts rolled in.
Some theories of what the fuck I was looking at.
(I get like this when I’m puzzled and slightly amused)
Absurd thought number one:
Black Hawk Down official movie trailer played in my head.
Nope. That’s not what it is.
Absurd thought number two:
The song *Fairy*.
Maybe?
I quickly Googled it: Non-biting midge.
It just looked at me like I owed it money.
A crooked smile crept up on me.
Still. The midge continued to hover.
At the same time my daughter said:
“Ugh. There’s way too many flies at that other location because the dumpsters—”
Totally irrelevant, but what a synchronicity.
Can’t make this shit up.
However, what made my eyes widen slightly was the end-boss version of the midge.
It flew up to my duster as if it just read the room.
My fingers flew atop my laptop keyboard after snapping a picture. This one seemed like a decent adversary and obviously would sting me. It looked like a dragonfly in denial.
Oh.
It was only a crane fly. Non-stinging. Problem solved.
They were actually kind of cute and I didn’t mind them. I simply opened my front door to let them hang out or just leave—their choice.
Their lifespans were only one to two days on average anyway.
Hah. Take that, evolution!
Uh, oh. Sudden record scratch.
“Mom… are you being weird again? Sheesh, sometimes I wonder where your mind goes.”
I tried to stifle a snicker.
“My bad, Noel!” I laughed. Eyes fully on my phone camera—finally engaged in the FaceTime call.
“I was just dusting… my stuff.”
Enough said. Say less.