The kitchen is dimly lit, only illuminated by a lamp in the next room and the incessant flickering of a television. “Whatcha makin’?” the boy’s mother asks from her screen-side perch. The pasta sauce begins to simmer, spitting its contents onto the wall behind the stove. “Bolognese again” he answers, taking another sip of his beer. “Hmm” she absent mindedly replies. They’re talking about COVID on the TV again, it’s as if the world stopped spinning the way they can’t stop talking about it – maybe it did. Regardless, the talk fades to white noise. Aren’t there still people starving in Yemen? A renewed civil rights movement in the USA? A fight for freedom in Hong Kong? Did we forget? The TV commentators continue. They’re asking the question “what comes after COVID?” again – as if anybody has a clue. The pasta begins to boil over. Shit.
Translating Observation | Observation 8 | Noah Hodgson
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