now.

Poised, motionless at the desk. He has been sitting for hours, staring at the electronic screen. The occasional expression flickers across his face before disappearing with another thought. Thoughts blip across the mental horizon like an occasional lightning strike, powerful but momentary and fleeting. An ebbing crescendo of classical music penetrates silently in the background, interrupted by an occasional mouse click that echoes throughout the room. He draws in and lets out a restrained sigh. Hours pass. The eyes glaze over.

A single lamp is shining in the corner. The a/c gently wafts cool air into the room, swirling and circulating above him before it sinks and rests coolly on his body below.

The desk is cluttered. Red solo cups, keys, a cell phone, Oscar Wilde and William James, pens and pencils, and dozens of post-it notes that contain kind daily reminders and inspirational thoughts that read: “how you spend your time defines who you are” and “be a slave to good habits” and “do not settle”.

The boy leans back in his chair. He runs his hand through his hair and scratches his head, chasing the itch all over until he’s rubbing his face and hair with two hands.

**************

Finished East of Eden today. Best book I’ve ever come across in my life.