1.14.2021

Trying to sit in the lotus position, mind in turmoil, hip joints in pain, minutes passing slowly, filled with doubt, legs cramping, W returns his attention to his breath for the millionth time to no avail. He thinks about eating lunch, washing the dishes, and when exactly, in the kitchen, with soapy water on his hands, he'll get to share a few words with Rose.

"I want to discover my true nature," W tells his teacher because he knows that is what he is supposed to say.

"The suffering comes from the wanting," replies his teacher, who has launched a delicate plan to remove W from full-time student and rid the school of him without causing any scandal. Quiet moans and giggles have alerted the vigilant teacher that W and Rose, the cook's daughter, have been meeting in the small storage room behind the kitchen after lights out.

Hoping to insure his bliss, W has concocted a plan to run away with Rose. He has been saving food from the kitchen and a few coins that won't be missed from shopping trips, a collection he is sure will carry them to safety. Letting her know the timing, assuring her that he is prepared, sealing the pact with a hasty kiss, and rolling all his belongings into a bundle, W believes he is journeying to nirvana while in truth he is only going to meet his fate. Soon he will see that Rose is more loyal to the school where she grew up and the teacher that loves her.

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