The Truth Sets Us Free.

It was a gloomy afternoon. For the first time since lockdown, I was able to wake up around noon. Ever since a virus got really bad in Los Angeles, all I could think about is how I should have taken the vacation break the week before lockdown back to sweet old Texas. Now, I wake up really late and I sleep really late. I'm forced to order everything, from food to whatever the heck Amazon's selling today. I, recently, moved here a few months ago, so friends are lacking for me. Still talk to a lot of the people back home in Texas, but I'm glad that the one person that I can stick by and not go insane with is my best friend, who happens to live right next door.

"Good Afternoon Kav. You're up early," said Shawn, my best friend. I open my big sliding door that leads to the bedroom balcony.

"Yeah I know! I slept maybe around.... four," I said.

"Four?! Oh my god Kav, you seriously didn't see the sunrise this morning! No wonder I didn't see you on the balcony."

"Haha yeah. There's always a time for first."

"You could say that again. Guess who's cooking dawg?"

Oh no. He's trying to cook by himself? Should I be concerned? I remember the last time we cooked, he almost made something that could have been the virus.

I hear a knock at my front door. I walk up as I get a text that says, "Open up Bro. I got a special surprise." I go up to my door, hoping that Shawn didn't buy another goldfish for us to take "care" of.

"You hungry bro!! Because I am starving like a dog at a dinner table. Let's get to cooking. Take a seat and let some magic happen."

I knew this wasn't going to go well from the start, but I was hoping some miracle was going to happen, but just in case, I'm ordering take-out. "Okay Shawn. What are you making today?"

"I will be making you some fish tacos, like the ones we ate at my sister's wedding. You know, after we got drunk. Ahh who am I kidding? You're a light guy. You probably don't remember half of what happened at the party. So, my sister sent me the recipe and now I will be creating a better version of it."

I'll let you think about the "better version" he made. Hint: It was not even close to good.

"I'll catch you later Kav. Text you the final product?"

"Yeah. Hey? Don't burn the house down!"

"Oh shut up Kav."

I leave to the living room to hear the doorbell ring again. Huh? I swear I didn't order anything last night. As I am on my way to open the door, I get a text message from Shawn, which is a picture of a silver ring that has the words cambiare. I open my door to see the exact same ring with the exact same words engraved on it. I called Shawn to see what the hell was going on. He answers and all I hear is a whisper, and I fall asleep.

I woke up to a dog licking my face. What the hell? I don’t have a dog. I panic really fast and try to look around, but everything is blurry. I smell food burning too. Huh? I find a pair of glasses, which look like the ones that Shawn wears, and put it on. The walls are not white, but grey and the ceiling are a lot higher than mine with three nice lighting fixtures drooping down like chandeliers. As for the smell of burning food, it turns out someone had burnt it. Now, I’m starting to think I’ve ended up at Shawn’s house, but it doesn’t make sense why I’m here, or why I’m wearing his stupidly expensive glasses. I open the balcony and see someone walking around my house. I yell over at the figure to see that it’s me. I, who isn’t really me, opens my balcony door.

“Who the hell are you, and why do you look like me,” I said. 

“Who the hell are you, and why do you look like a uglier version of me,” the other person says.

“Huh?” I look down to see that I’m wearing the same clothes as Shawn, and my skin tone seems to be a little darker than what I am, originally. “Shawn?”

“Yeah, who the hell is asking?”

“Shawn, it’s Kavinhaugh. Your best friend. What happened?”

“Oh my god dawg. Kav, why the hell do you look like me? Why do I look like you? Oh my god bro.” 

“Don’t do it bro! Ahh you did it. Great, you are having way too much fun in the situation that we are in right now. Please don’t do that again.”

“Dawg. I can’t help it. It’s not my fault God gave you a gift.”

“Okay that’s enough. Let’s worry about how to switch bodies and not about my gift, which is not a gift.” 

“Ok. So the last thing I remember was trying to call you Kav after I texted you.”

“Okay, same. Maybe that caused it.”

It turns out that caused it, but it didn’t fix us after a few tries of recreating the door opening and texting each other and calling. We let the night go by and waited until we saw the sun rise. Days and days went by and trying after trying happened. Nothing worked and so we gave up. We sat at each other's balcony and talked until the sun rose again.

“Hey Kav. Since we are never getting out of lockdown anytime soon and I’m basically stuck as you… can I tell you something? And don’t get weird about it because you can get weird fast.”

“What? I don’t get weird about stuff. What do you mean? Just tell me bro.”

“Kav, I’m bi.”

“Oh shoot Shawn. Dang bro. You know I love you no matter. And to be honest with you, I kind of knew it.”

“Shut up no you didn’t.”

“Yeah I did. I’m you remember. I get text messages from this guy everyday who will not shut up. You know? Just to let you know! I would be a hell of a lot better as a boyfriend than whoever this guy is.”

“Oh yeah. Shut up bro. He’s chill. You’ll like him, so don’t give this guy a hard time.”

“Too late. Was sending the eggplant emoji a little too much a few days ago? Ooo he’s calling. I’m picking up.” I pick up the phone and we both fell silent.