Upon getting home, I immediately head into the kitchen to eat a well deserved home cooked meal. Earlier while I was contemplating what to get in the cafe, I received a text from gramps telling me that he's going to make grilled eel for dinner. Now, grilled eel is already tasty on its own. But gramps' version of it is somehow twice as delicious. That's why I didn't get anything from the cafe to prepare myself for the feast to follow.
I open the kitchen door and see gramps putting rice into a bowl and layering it with a hefty serving of scrumptious eel.
"Oh, right on time. I was just about to start eating. Here, you can have this bowl."
"Thanks gramps."
We both sit down at the table and begin eating our meal. Just as I thought, gramps' grilled eel is still as delicious as I remember. Sure, almost all the dishes he makes are good. But his eel is just the best. I remember telling him that he should make it his specialty dish. But he firmly declined, saying that curry is what he loves cooking the most.
"You're home awfully late today."
"Yeah well, I just got caught up in something. I sent you a text to let you know."
"Yes, I read it. I don't mind anyway. It's just that you've never stayed out late until now."
"I would have gone straight home if I could've helped it. But I got dragged to a meet up and it went on longer than I expected."
"A meet up, huh? With other people?"
"Well, yeah. Can't exactly have a meet up by yourself."
"Friends of yours?"
"No. Just some people from my school."
"... I see."
As gramps finishes up his meal, he stands up to take his bowl to the sink and I swear I saw him let out a small smile. I've only ever seen him smile maybe a handful of times. It doesn't really suit him to be honest. It's like his face is perfectly molded to be grouchy. And a smile just seems so out of place.
"By the way, I'm going to go out and meet with some old buddies of mine. Be sure to lock up before you go to sleep."
"Sure. I always do that anyway."
"... It sure is nice to have other people for company. Huh, Jo?"
He says as he gets out of the kitchen. He didn't even give me enough time to respond and tell him that he's wrong. Sure, there are some things that seem fun with other people around. But taking your time to enjoy a solo activity is infinitely more enjoyable. I can't imagine wanting anything more than to read manga or enjoy a video game in solitude.
… Except maybe an end to the torture that is reality.