Laundry day at his parent's house

Eric stretched in bed, blinking against the morning light filtering through his cheap blinds. Lauren had already left for her shift, leaving him with a rare free day ahead. He groaned as he checked his phone. Laundry day. The thought of hauling his clothes across town to his parents’ place already had him dragging his feet, but the growing pile of dirty clothes couldn’t be ignored any longer. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, deciding he might as well get it over with, along with the other errands he’d been putting off.

As he stuffed his laundry into a duffel bag, his fingers brushed against the stereotype gun tucked inside his jacket pocket. A smirk tugged at his lips. Who knew what kind of adjustments the day might call for?

Eric sighed as he shoved another load of laundry into the backseat of his Corolla. The drive to his parents' house was getting old, twenty minutes each way just to avoid paying for the laundromat. He patted the stereotype gun in his jacket pocket. At least he had some insurance if anything interesting happened today.

The engine coughed to life, the familiar rattle of his aging Toyota filling the quiet morning air. As he pulled onto the main road, the check engine light flickered on… again. Eric smacked the dashboard. "Piece of shit," he muttered.

At a red light, a sleek Mercedes S-Class glided up beside him. Through the tinted window, Eric caught a glimpse of a silver-haired executive sipping coffee, his crisp suit practically screaming money. Eric's fingers twitched toward the gun in his pocket.

The Mercedes glided away when the light turned green, but the image lingered in Eric's mind, the rich leather interior, the driver's crisp suit, the effortless aura of importance that clung to him like expensive cologne. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel of his rattling Corolla, the check engine light now just one more insult in a life full of them.

Why settle for this life when I could have that?

The thought slithered through his mind, sticky and insistent. It wasn't like his parents were poor, his dad's software engineering job paid the mortgage, his mom's pharmacy work covered the vacations to visit relatives, but it was all so... small. The careful budgeting, the same ten-year-old sedan in the driveway, the way his dad still hesitated before ordering the more expensive dish at restaurants.

A memory surfaced: his college roommate, some trust fund kid who'd bragged about his father's yacht like it was normal. Eric had laughed along, but the envy had festered. Now, with the gun's weight against his thigh, the truth was undeniable, he didn't just want wealth. He deserved it.

The gun could give him that. No more grinding at a dead-end job, no more rationing drinks at bars to make rent. His dad wouldn't just have money, he'd be the kind of father whose son never had to worry about check engine lights again.

By the time he pulled into his parents' driveway, the idea had hardened into certainty. He patted the gun through his jacket, already imagining what his life could really be.

The familiar scent of garlic and sesame oil greeted Eric as he pushed through his parents' front door. His dad sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through code on his laptop while shovelling some congee into his mouth. His mom bustled around the kitchen in her usual pre-work rush, her pharmacist's uniform already on.

"Morning," Eric grunted, hauling his laundry bag toward the washer.

"Did you eat?" his mom asked automatically, not looking up from packing her lunch.

His dad just nodded, his attention locked on his screen. Same routine. Same comfortable, middle-class existence.
Eric paused in the hallway, the gun heavy in his hand. He didn't want to change who his dad was just what he was. The image came easily: his father, but richer. More successful. The easiest thing he could think of is his dad as being an ultra rich tech billionaire thanks to one of apps he’s developed taking off.

He raised the gun and fired.

A brilliant white light erupted from the barrel, engulfing the kitchen. When the light faded Eric was shocked to see…