Everything Has Its Place

Moving is quite possibly the worst. Now packing... Packing is fine. You get the cathartic pleasure of grouping your belongings in labeled boxes. Everything has its place. You travel down memory lane as you reminisce on when you wore those rainbow sunglasses to pride or when your mom bought you that watch that you wore twice before placing it in a box and never allowing it to see sunlight again. Well, until now. Now that you're looking at all the knick-knacks, pieces of clothing, and junk you’ve acquired over the years, you’re emotional and ready for the next journey.

But to get on that journey, you must move. Move heavy brown boxes filled with your favorite books, your pots and pans, and frankly your whole life.

It’s just you and your boyfriend-- thank the universe for him--relocating your life.

Once the last box was placed in my new studio apartment, Trey and I flopped on the displaced couch.

“You’re lucky I love you, Tony,” Trey said, his gaze flickering between affection and contempt. He leaned in and kissed my cheek, the tenderness masking the storm brewing beneath.

“And also, why you’re the greatest boyfriend,” I beam back.

“Because I love you,” he asks almost quizzically.

“Well Duh,” we both let out an exhausted laugh. “But seriously, thank you, babe. I didn’t have it to pay for movers, so this is beyond a great help”

With a weary smile, he presses a gentle kiss to my forehead and settles my head against his chest. I sit there, staring at the boxes, a silent war waging inside me over the daunting task of unpacking. Like my mother, I won’t rest until every last item is in its place. Trey must have sensed my unease.

“So how about tomorrow we go to-”

“Everything Has Its Place?!” I cut him off in excitement. He knew walking around buying home goods for my apartment with the money I didn’t have was my favorite pastime. The “H” in the logo was in the shape of a house, adding to the “feeling at home” aesthetic.

“Yeah,” he chuckles at my clear excitement. “I figure you would want to get a few new pieces. My treat.”

“Oh, Trey,” I exclaim with theatrical flair, climbing onto him. “You really know how to treat a guy.” Slipping into a swooning 1950s accent, I pepper his gorgeously sweaty face with kisses, each one more exaggerated than the last.

The sight of the store revived me, like a phoenix rising after an all-nighter. With each box I unpacked, satisfaction bloomed. The double doors slid open as if in grand welcome, revealing a blue carpet rolled out just for us. Inside, the air was rich with the scent of new couches, fresh carpets, and the unmistakable allure of two entire candle aisles—my department-sized heaven.

Like a kid in a candy store, I picked up and put back about 30 different things. I finally settled on one purple carpet with two matching throw pillows, a large oval mirror, and a funky-looking rust colored candle lamp warmer-- after all, I didn't want to take full advantage of Trey’s treat.

As the cashier checks us out, Trey flashes that signature love-contempt look.

Trey leaves me to enjoy a bit of alone time inside my new apartment—and to recoup from my mini-department shopping spree.

Once I placed the rug down, the pillows on the now-placed couch, and hung the oval mirror, my waning focus shifted to the candle lamp warmer. I considered the island, but quickly realized it needed an outlet. Next, the side table beside the couch—no, it didn’t feel right. Finally, I tried the entertainment center, nestling it among the more rustic pieces. It matched the warmer’s aesthetic perfectly. A triumph!

Well almost... I noticed a little smudge on the glass. I almost said oh well and plopped on the couch. But I want Trey to know I care about him spending his hard-earned food delivery money on my frivolous home non-essentials.

I run to the bathroom to grab a rag and some glass cleaner. I spray a bit on the rag and go to eliminate the smudge. I wipe it, and I feel accomplished as it disappears. But then it slowly reappears. Like when you blow on your living room window when it’s 20 below outside to draw smiley faces and spell your name. What the... It looks like a purple-bluish light emitting from the middle of the light bulb that sits in the socket on the other side of the glass.

I put the rag down and tried wiping the pesky smudge with my index finger. There’s a warmth to the touch of the glass and then a tingle.

The warmer begins to heat rapidly, far faster than it should. A sharp tingle shoots through my hand, startling me into letting it go. But instead of falling, it hovers in midair, defying gravity as if commanded by some unseen force. The purple-blue light within shifts, swirling and thickening into smoke that gradually fills the warmer's interior.

I step back, but that’s all my mind will compute. Take two steps back from the nearly exploding candle lamp warmer. No, don’t run out of the apartment like a bat out of hell. Just step back.

Smoke starts seeping through the cracks in the glass, pouring into my apartment in thick, ominous waves. The air feels strange—almost intoxicating—as the ceiling and walls stretch and rise around me. At some point, the warmer began spinning, its glow mirroring the eerie light of the gas, but I only notice it when my brain snaps out of its fog and screams at me to run. How has my cramped studio apartment transformed into the vastness of a football field, with smoke climbing endlessly upward?

A sound akin to some sort of growl and rumble vibrates my ears and bones. Why didn’t I run?

As the smoke dissipates, a silhouette begins to emerge—a man, towering at a staggering ten feet tall, stands inside my apartment. His presence is as impossible as it is undeniable. My mind begins to formulate question after question. How is this possible? Does he want to eat me? Am I going to die? Is this a freaking Genie?!

For a moment, he does nothing but stare at me, and I return the gaze. His warm, rustic skin seemed to radiate an otherworldly glow. Golden eyes pierced through me, as if they could see every atom of my being. This creature was beyond stunning. His ebony-black hair floated effortlessly, as though carried by Beyoncé's signature fan, and his equally dark beard flowed with the same grace. His rippling muscles were adorned with intricate tribal markings I couldn’t place. Just looking at him made me feel like I was betraying Trey.

“Umm.. Hi...” As low as the words escaped, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t hear me.

“Hello, Master, you have woken me from my slumber. I, Genie, Will now grant you three omnipotent wishes, safe from tampering with the hearts of your fellow man. What does your heart desire?”

I’m stunned for many reasons. One, did I mention his voice vibrates my ears and bones? Every molecule is still shaking with his declaration that--reason two, he is a freaking genie! There is a 10-foot-tall genie inside of my stretched-out apartment. The last reason I could mentally grasp, as there were others, was how and why all this was happening. How did a simple candle warmer turn into me possibly receiving everything I may need in life.

“You are a magical genie? One who has been trapped in a lamp... Warmer? And now you can grant me three wishes? Anything I could want, safe from making someone fall in love with me?

“This is correct, Master. I have been a Genie for... Seeing now with my power what year it is...” The Genie goes silent for a second. I wondered if his genie magic began downloading information from the last time his lamp was rubbed. “I have been a genie for 10 millennia now. That... Warmer, while altered from its original form, is very much still my former lamp. Lastly, yes, I can grant you three wishes of your heart's desire, safe from making someone fall in love with you.”

For 10,000 years, he has been a genie. Everyone he once knew has vanished into the abyss of time, their existence not even a whisper in anyone’s memory—maybe not even his own.

“What’s your name?”

He looks quizzical for a moment, “I only know myself as The Genie”

“You can’t remember your name?”

“No, Mas-”

“Uh, listen. I’m a Black man living in America—you might not fully grasp what that entails, but would you stop calling me Master, please? Mr. Genie... Sir...”

“As you wish. Would you prefer I use Tony?”

How the hell? Did his magic upload involve my name?

“How did you-”

“Once skin touches the appropriate part of the lamp, all you are is known to me.”

This is almost too much. I didn’t even know what three things I wanted. I would love to never worry about money again. I would love to know if Trey and I will ever get married. Or if the world ends in a nuclear winter. I would love to have my very own Everything Has Its Place! But are these things my heart desires?

“When was the last time someone “woke” you?”

The genie looks at me for a minute. His stare bordered scrutinization like he didn’t believe I could care about his journey after I’d been presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. But I genuinely did.

“It would appear it has been 1200 years.”

“And you just slept?”

“Genie go into a state of suspended animation after we grant the final wish and see our Ma- Humans off.”

“And what if I were to use one of your wonderful gifts to give you your heart's desire? Maybe to live out a normal life or go back and get a do-over at your old one?”

“Surely, you jest?”

“I jest not. Sure, I worked hard for what I have, and I deserve a break. Something to make my life easier or happier. Thing is, there’s a lot going on in our world, I don’t doubt that. But I’m currently happy, and maybe there are others out there that need a wish more. Like you.”

“I can see all the tragedy this time is riddled with. All the hate and conflict. War. One wish and you could eliminate it all. You have three wishes.”

“Well, not necessarily,” I say, pausing to think. “Sure, no more conflict on Earth sounds great, but let’s be real—there’s always a catch with Genies. What if this so-called peace triggers a ripple effect? Like, maybe it destabilizes some advanced alien civilization out there, and they end up fleeing to Earth. Next thing you know, they’re European colonizing us because, surprise, they’re way more advanced. And you? You’re long gone, and I’m stuck here leading a rebellion against alien overlords. In hindsight, I’d be kicking myself for ever making that wish. Honestly, I doubt you can guarantee there won’t be consequences—right?”

The Genie looked at me, his expression teetering between awe and contempt—or so I thought. A 10,000-year-old genie isn’t exactly an open book. But then a small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, and in that fleeting moment, I had my answer.

“I cannot,” he simply stated

Oh my god, that means aliens exist!

“Plus, you said I can’t change the heart of my fellow man. I can take away the war, but the hate still lives inside their hearts. With that, conflict and war will always be inevitable.”

“This interaction from beginning to end has been unlike any encounter I’ve had with a human. There have certainly been noble ones who have held my lamp. None quite like you. What is it that you wish for then, Tony?”

“I wish for one of my wishes to be used to grant you the life you desire and whether you stay in this time or get a redo, I wish for the other two wishes to be granted to whom you see fit in your journeys.”

Nearly blinding light burst from the Genie and the lamp. My modest apartment began to return to its modesty, and the genie began to shrink as well. Where there was once an ethereal cloud was now a pair of legs. His hair and beard, while still lustrous, no longer possess their own fan. Once the glow faded, I could still see his stark beauty.

He descended gracefully to the floor, the lamp clutched in his hand. Though no longer towering at 10 feet, his presence remained imposing—easily well over six feet tall. With an almost casual air, the Genie handed me the warmer, its once-buzzing power now silenced. Only then did I realize the charge of energy that had been humming in the air moments before.

“I don’t believe there are words that can express what you have done for me. Why do this?”

“Everyone has a place. I’m glad to see you decided to remain in my time. But what now?”

“I discover what this earth has become while fulfilling your wish.”

“Well, I meant for it to be something completed when you see fit”

“And see I shall. Thank you, Tony.”

“You’re welcome,” I beamed at him. I was truly happy to see someone get a happy ending

He walks over to my window as if that were the exit. I mean, I think they had doors 10,000 years ago. Maybe not?

“Oh, uh the door is this way. Oh, maybe I should walk you out. Wait, where are you gonna go, like you don’t even know where anything is or anyone.”

“It’s fine. Your wish allows me to retain a portion of my power,” he explains simply, turning his attention back outside. “Farewell.” With that, Genie was gone. I hope he discovers his name.

Later that evening, I was still trying to process everything that happened. Like, a Genie was in my apartment! I hear a knock, and knowing it’s Trey, I run to the door so I can immediately bombard him with the entire story. He enters, greets me, and then, like word vomit, I regurgitate the story. I don’t believe he’s following as his eyes drift over to a wall.

“Did you always have an extra door there?”

Trey pointed over to where the now couch was originally displaced. When we placed the couch there, there wasn’t a door, nor was there a door when we moved the couch. Great, more weird activity. There’s a plaque on the door that I can’t read from the apartment entrance. I walk over to the door to see the writing.

“Anywhere,” it simply reads.

I look at Trey and then at the door. I place my hand on the knob, twist and slowly open it. Nothing but an abyss. I look at Trey and then back at the door as I close it. I look at the plaque again. Anywhere?

I quickly try to ponder what that simple word means. Anywhere? Anywhere. Anywhere! I close my eyes and picture a grassy field from Iceland and then open the door. What was once an abyss was not a grass field. I look at Trey giddy and then back at the door as I close it. I close my eyes and picture my favorite place in the world. I twist the knob, open the door and enter one of two candle aisles in the greatest department store.