nothingness to a whole lotta somethingness episode 2

LINK: nothingness to a whole lotta somethingness episode 2

Currently listening to: Loungin (Who Do Ya Luv) – LL COOL J

Yo B, why you leave your honey all alone with me?
Just because you blessed with cash
Doesn’t mean your honey won’t let me finesse that ass
So see the moral of the story is a woman need love
The kind you so-called players never dreamed of

The moment I got home from the dealership, a wave of stench slapped me upside my head. It was worse than durian… it was like century egg, stinky tofu, and a severe case of Candida all bathing and fermenting together in the summer heat. I followed my nose and found that an opossum had died behind one of the bushes in my front yard.

As grim as it was, it was going to have to wait. It was already 1635 and I hadn’t eaten all day. I sat down, told my brother I was going to need his help disposing the body, and started eating rice and kimchi. He looked at me like I was insane. He asked, “How can you eat after seeing and smelling all that? I thought mom got new fertilizer or something because it stank so bad.” I shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I’m in healthcare and you’re not.”

Once I finished eating, I ran through the supplies we would need: baking soda, shovel, Chux pads to absorb the fluids, and multiple garbage bags layered to prevent leakage. It seemed pretty solid, except I couldn’t find a shovel. I had to improvise with a dustpan and brush.

As we approached the area, my brother started gagging. I rolled my eyes. He’s so dramatic.

It was clear that the opossum had been there for a couple of days. This wasn’t going to be a quick process, considering that the body was already decomposing and there were maggots everywhere. My brother began to dry heave at this point. I wasn’t disturbed by it, just sad. RIP. Its tail was mangled and it was rather large. I couldn’t tell if it had been hit by a car or was attacked by a coyote. It was just upsetting that it was hurt and thought that my place was a safe space to take its last breath. I sincerely hoped that it didn’t have a family somewhere waiting for its return. I really do like opossums, they are so misunderstood.

I scooped up every last bit, sealed everything in a triple-layered garbage bag with the Chux pads inside, and poured an entire Costco-sized bag of baking soda over the area to neutralize the smell.

When we got back inside the house, my brother felt the need to recount the entire experience to everyone in full detail that nobody asked for. I just shook my head. Sometimes, I wonder how we are even siblings.