I accidentally dropped my father's ashtray. It fell, scattering cigarette butts and marijuana ashes. I knew for sure he wouldn't scold me, but this one was different. He chastised me, "You don't know how many stories I've neatly arranged and burned so I won't remember them anymore." I said, "That's where you're wrong, you shouldn't have those experiences neatly arranged in an ashtray. You're a pretty smart old man, aren't you?" For what it's worth, he was pretty crazy after losing my mom. The weed became his daily cigarette. That, plus cavities and pension, were all that kept him going.
Muhammad Alif Alhafiz is a college dropout from Diponegoro University, Indonesia who likes to write on Medium, sells and loves hip-hop music.