Legs

I'm going to tell you a quick little story. It's not at all comforting and it might make you itch. First things first, Hong Kong is a densely populated place. It has cockroaches. Lots and lots of them. And this is a sub tropical environment with sub tropical sized roaches. I could be wrong, but I'd bet in a fight that a Hong Kong roach could kick the ass of a New York roach. Maybe when you live in a crowded city, these things are just a part of life, but it never has been for me before, so cockroaches sort of terrify me. I've dodged them on the sidewalks since we arrived here. Some are scurrying; some are squished lifeless and flat from an endless parade of shoes. I knew it was only a matter of time before one found its way up to Flat 2612 of J Residence.

If you didn't know, I go to sleep late. One night last week at around 1:15 a.m., I turned away from the computer as if I felt someone watching me. Across the room in the "kitchen" my eyes met this thing next to the sink. I stared for a second as if it weren't real, and then I registered the twitch of antennae. It was horrifying enough that a roach sat staring at me from my kitchen. The size of it is what froze me in panic. This may have been the biggest one I've ever seen. Like, PBS's Nature big.

I approached and, lacking a better idea, raised a shoe. I took one swat and missed before it fled for cover under the washing machine cabinet. I think in my heart, I didn't have it in me to make contact. You don't want a creature hiding in a mystery location, imagining it lurking in every corner for days to come (still). But I'm not sure what I would have done if I actually hit it. So I won't try to imagine that gruesome scene. I just sprayed lots of roach spray and I'm sure the memory will fade... one day... if it didn't invite friends.

I spent several minutes trying to represent the size of the thing with carefully arranged letters below, but every time I publish the post, the letters don't line up right. So I'll just say it was big. And yes, it's late as I write this, and yes, I look over my shoulder every now and then.

I should probably apologize for even sharing this.

Hey, two weeks till Japan!