Until my father died, we all ordered the same thing as a family, the classic French toast from the breakfast menu. The smell of sickly sweet maple syrup enveloped our table. I always associated the scent with good memories, making it hard to cope once my father passed on. It’s like a part of him always stayed in that IHOP, and he existed as an essence. A specter is haunting IHOP, the specter of James Harlow Andrews.
It felt a bit strange to eat without a mask again, as if I had never done it before. I almost wished at that moment that I could have stayed in 2015 forever and avoided 2020, AKA, the worst year in history. 2020 is a mess that should never be repeated. If 2020 were a band, it would be Blood on the Dance Floor; I can’t even call that filth music. If you want actually good emo m
