My Love Letters To Food

When Life Gives & Takes: You Entre A New World

"You are at a boy's apartment and you tell no one! Not your mother, your grandparents, or me! I have to find out from Fon and P'Anda that you're at his apartment! Nam, since when do you not tell me things?" He sounds very betrayed and I can tell his dramatic nature is rearing its' ugly head. "Why are you shouting? Isn't this a bit dramatic? Plus, I never tell you about who I am with. Why do you care who I'm with? He's a boy. I'm a boy. Nothing bad can happen Pa." 

A moment of silence is dragged between us and then he huffs out a tired breath. "I know you like him, Nam. I know you like that depressed-looking kid from your school."

Unphased by his confrontation of the obvious all my life, I respond, "And so? I thought that was already public knowledge since I was five." Another annoying breath huffs out of him as he pinches the bridge of his nose no doubt. "Nam, I know what people who like each other do when they are alone. I just don't want you having regrets." Excuse me, Sir? "Pa, he does not like me. He hardly knows I exist. I am the last person he would look at. Secondly, we are not alone. His brother and best friend are here. You remember his brother, right? P'Mait. The senior that stopped those bullies from chasing me every day? The chances of anything happening are about as high as you confessing to Ma that you're in love with her. Never going to happen! Now calm down and speak to me like a human being."

P'Tho calms his breathing after hearing that Nam and Food were not alone. His younger sister and agent had left that part out. "Fon just sent me a screenshot from your live saying you finally got the boy you like and I kind of lost it. Sorry. 

And I resent that! I will ask Jiew out. I just haven't had the right time yet. The restaurant is busy these days." 

"Apology accepted but next time just ask. Also, that place is always busy. Just ask her before I turn twenty or else your crush will officially be longer than mine. Twenty-three years liking one person is a long time Pa. I can help if you want."

"We will talk Sunday. He better stay not liking you or else.", he disconnects the call and I am left annoyed again. Does anyone in this family know how to end a call? What happened to proper phone etiquette. 

"So that just happened?" I question myself and wonder what has gotten into my father. He's never had any reaction to Food or my shenanigans with him. 

"Dinner is served, Khoon Chai!!" Sine shouts down the hallways for me and I rush out because who doesn't love sushi?

For dinner, we all sit on the floor around the coffee table and share dinner. Not sure how to interact with everyone, I just observe them. 

I notice the way Food and P'Mait have a language of their own that Sine cannot understand and how it frustrates him. How Sine and P'Mait steal glances at each other and touches under the table. I see how Food gives me extra potions and doesn't make direct eye contact with me. How P'Mait is always including me in conversations steered around information regarding Food. He's sharing all the small and minuscule details that wouldn't make sense to others but for me, it gave me a chance to see what common ground we have. It gives Food a chance to ask me questions or just try and converse with me. 

Dinner with them is light banter and details on their past together. For instance, P'Mait and Sine hate camping because of mosquitoes and always sleep in a cabin while Food sleeps in a tent in the woods. It could also be a cover for their obvious relationship. Food is a deep sleeper and a rage waker. He fights back if you tap i=him at close range in his sleep. He is always late to everything in seconds and doesn't have much to say to strangers. "So when he was a baby people thought he was adopted because while His Jason and I were friendly babies, he never smiled if he didn't know you. At all!" Which explains a lot about his reactions to everything that has happened today. He is unimpressed and unbothered. However, that also has me thinking, could he be doing his most critical and vulnerable thinking right then? When he comes off aloof, is he feeling vulnerable and misunderstood?