Even though Seth hated math he did love symmetry. It soothed his brain when things were perfectly aligned. Tidy. It wasn't because of his upbringing. Or, OK, maybe it was. His home was very strict. Nothing out of place. Everything in it's place. Even his shoes. I'm not saying they "5 S"ed that shit but they totally "5 S"ed that shit. Seth's dad was obsessed with Lean principles. Which is kind of how you need to cultivate the Lean mindset. Or so his dad thought.
Some people bring work home and others make home their job. That was Seth's mom. She enjoyed the domestic arts. Found them fulfilling. Not because she cared a great deal for her family but mainly because she cared deeply about a nice home. Someplace you can relax. Kick your shoes off. Just make sure those shoes are clean and in their right spot. Her home would be the most relaxing home on the cul de sac. Even if she had to stress and work extra hard to make it so relaxing. Relaxation requires strenuous effort. Or so it seemed.
Seth was an only child. His parents had to fight to create him. They paid a lot. And Seth was never allowed to forget that. Every birthday was a reminder of the bill he owed them. Both his mom and dad were not into making jokes. Humor was a tool to be used when gaining influence. With family, you have installed influence. Thus, no need for humor in the home. So when his dad presented him with a bill in every birthday card, that shit was legit.
How was Seth ever to repay the monumental debt of being born working at DQ? I guess it was possible if he saved every dime and survived on the good nature of his fellow human. But that wasn't the world Seth lived in. It really isn't the world any of us live in. Turning his back on the finance profession was turning his back on his birth debt. So it explains why his expulsion from the family relaxation station was so swift. I mean when you don't pay your bills, you don't get the frills.
All of this came into crystal clear focus over the months as Candy and Seth lived together. Ghosts of his past haunted them both. From time to time Seth would obsess over the fact the spoons never nested properly. It drove him nuts. He even searched for new spoons. A better nesting set. Candy...well Candy would put spoons in the fork section just for fun. She even once put a spoon inside of a glass and put that glass in the dish cupboard. Seth had to take a nap after that one.
Sometime after Candy left for the archery company, Seth came to her with an idea. An idea that left Candy confused and intrigued. Something wholly unexpected from someone that is wholly predictable. Like, Seth not only pooped on a regular schedule but it also always took the same amount of time. Including wiping. He never wavered. Not once.
Seth had, apparently, been on a journey of self-discovery. He was going through his childhood. Reliving all the things that made him Seth. Taking inventory of the facts, the moments that built him and his life. Again with the math. It makes sense, though, that someone who doesn't like math would do a lot of surmising. All of this led him to a conclusion. Something that even he didn't want to admit. Seth...well Seth didn't particularly like himself. Seth was having a crisis.
And what good is a crisis unless you can drag someone else down? It is just so much more fun with company. This wasn't Seth's intention. At least, not consciously. He had grown to rely on Candy. Even with her little drawer and cupboard pranks. Strike that, especially because of her pranks. Candy didn't realize it or really even care that she was loosening him up. She didn't consider her discourtesy was actually breaking Seth down so he could grow. She didn't know Seth was becoming something, someone else. To put it in other terms, the shit she was giving Seth was just the fertilizer he need to grow.
Candy would eventually regret this. So would Seth. But you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet.
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