The boy just arrived. It is already 10:30 pm. He went straight to his room, opened the lights, and stayed there for around 30 minutes. Perhaps lying on his bed, resting. By 11:00, he is out of his room and into the kitchen. He opens the stove and puts a caserol of water to boil. I now smell noodles and wonder whether he has bought cooked rice.

He has to eat fast so he can wait for the food to subside, which has to happen soon if he wants to get enough sleep. It is now 12. Six hours from now, the boy will again wake up from whatever sleep he had. And he will walk to the mall and hope he will come home earlier later so he can eat his noodles longer.