{"id":3205,"date":"2025-02-26T19:33:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T00:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aachips.co\/?p=3205"},"modified":"2025-03-18T22:08:13","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T02:08:13","slug":"the-last-night-before-they-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aachips.co\/blog\/the-last-night-before-they-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Night Before They Leave"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The Last Night Before They Leave”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got home from work today, exhausted after being up since 6:30, and all I wanted was a nap. But of course, they were in the kitchen, cooking. Cooking is always an event with them\u2014usually ending in smoke alarms and me scrambling to air out the house. I\u2019ve tried to teach them: low and slow, oil the pan, or just use the toaster oven at 350. Safe, foolproof. Tonight, they actually listened. The smell of pork filled the air, and for a moment, I felt like a cartoon character floating on the scent of something delicious.<\/p>\n

Then came the knock on my door. \u201cI think there\u2019s tapeworms in the meat,\u201d they said, their voice tinged with panic. The pork, still scalding hot, was already in the trash. I tried to explain\u2014gamey meat can have parasites, that\u2019s why you freeze it\u2014but reasoning doesn\u2019t work well in moments like these. They were scared, not just for themselves but for the cat, too. They spilled water while trying to clean, then fretted about sanitizing the floor.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s funny, in a way. They\u2019ve never been one to help with cleaning\u2014the kitchen is my domain, messy but clean\u2014yet here they were, lecturing me about sanitation. Still, I handed them the Clorox wipes. Now, they\u2019re on their third shower, and it sounds like someone\u2019s being waterboarded in the bathroom. I\u2019m just hoping there\u2019s no mess to deal with later.<\/p>\n

As chaotic as it all is, I\u2019m choosing to see this as their strange, clumsy way of showing care. They\u2019re leaving tomorrow, and maybe this is the closest thing to love they know how to express.<\/p>\n

At one point, they yelled, \u201cStop attacking me!\u201d\u2014hard to nap through that. \u201cTweakers are really annoying,\u201d I thought, though I don\u2019t think it\u2019s stimulants this time. Street life taught them to stay awake to stay safe, but now it feels more like alcohol or even just too much caffeine.<\/p>\n

Tonight is a mess of burnt edges and bleach fumes, of paranoia and misplaced concern. But it\u2019s also the last night, and somehow, in its own chaotic way, it feels like a goodbye.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“The Last Night Before They Leave” I got home from work today, exhausted after being up since 6:30, and all I wanted was a nap. But of course, they were in the kitchen, cooking. Cooking is always an event with them\u2014usually ending in smoke alarms and me scrambling to air out the house. I\u2019ve tried […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Last Night Before They Leave - Apple Chip Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tonight is a mess of burnt edges and bleach fumes, of paranoia and misplaced concern. 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