Reality Was Often a Harsh Mistress

Reality was often a harsh mistress.

Sometimes, it was completely different from what you imagined.

For example, the adults would promise you again and again that when they came back from out of town, they'd buy you one of those magnetic rod toys that could be used for both chess and building.

Then, after you waited and waited for them to come home, you found that all you received was a cheap red plastic spinning top printed with gaudy cartoon figures that would peel off at a scratch, flashing lights and playing some simple tune.

Maybe the family had been short on money back then. Maybe they simply couldn't find one.

But more likely, they just hadn't taken it to heart. They thought giving a kid anything to keep them occupied was enough, and that it wasn't worth spending so much money or effort.

Once you understood that, the plunge from eager anticipation to rock-bottom disappointment really was something else.

Heh. You could only ever be your own Santa Claus.

Ahem, I got sidetracked. I seemed to have exposed something about myself without noticing.

Anyway, this example showed that reality was often a harsh mistress. It basically never went the way you wanted it to.

Papa Fate would always slap you across the face with a fatherly blow every now and then, making you quickly face reality.

At the beginning of October, after finally removing his bandages, escaping both his hospital bed and English Level 4 Vocabulary Explanation, and getting into the car taking him back to The Cabin,

Fang Ran looked through the car window at the high-rises passing by beneath the brilliant blue sky and bright sunlight, carrying the nostalgia of having been away for a month.

He anticipated a warm, touching reunion like someone returning victorious from