[ WP ] Nothing is forever

“ Nothing is forever, ” I said, then considered, rubbing my chin. “ Except for plastic, that ’ s never going away. ” 
 
 “ I thought that was diamonds, Bogdan. ” 
 
 “ Swine! ” I mumbled. “ Public education has failed you. ” I realized I was still rubbing my chin. I thought about stopping, then decided I liked it. “ But the point is, this system is unsustainable. We ’ re talking imminent collapse here! ” I thrust myself out of the chair and collided with a lingering cloud of weed smoke. I collapsed back in the chair, coughing. 
 
 Luke regarded all of this with an admirable calm, as if he wasn ’ t responsible for the fumes. Abominable slug. Polluting me on the day of my grandfather ’ s funeral! And after the day I ’ ve had! He waited for my fit to subside, then passed the bowl back to me. I glared at it, then at him, then back at the bowl. “ It hasn ’ t gotten any better, has it? ” I asked hopefully. 
 
 “ Absolutely not, ” Luke agreed. 
 
 I took the bowl and lit it, immediately choking. 
 
 Luke was a cheapskate. I should never let him buy the weed. 
 
 While I was writhing in the chair, trying not to expel a lung, Luke plucked the bowl from my hands. “ So, ” he said, “ plastics are forever? ” 
 
 “ That ’ s your takeaway? ” I said weakly, struggling to catch my breath. “ No. Look, we gave it a good run. Like, as a species. But nothing is forever, you know? ” 
 
 “ Except for plastics. ” 
 
 “ Listen here, you little shit, ” I began, before being overwhelmed by another coughing fit. I had to give Luke credit. He was the only man in the world who could find weed that choked you after you toked. “ You know what I mean. The planet ’ s getting too hot. The water ’ s getting too filthy. We ’ re all mad at each other. This is— ” I thought about saying “ This is the end, ” but I knew that would prompt Luke to start bellowing The Doors, so instead I said, “ This is how it starts. ” 
 
 Luke nodded wisely, opened his mouth, and belched. 
 
 “ Indeed, ” I said. 
 
 We repacked the bowl and lit one for my grandfather. [ I almost forgot about the cheese. ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/TheBrzezinskiCycle/comments/3xzkle/entry_1_it_certainly_was_a_handsome_cheese/ ) 
 ***** 
 *Bogdan, Luke, and the cheese can be found here at [ r/TheBrzezinskiCycle ] ( https: //www.reddit.com/r/TheBrzezinskiCycle/ ). *
