Chapter 4
Thai Go
Matt was in his room getting dressed as his family were planning to have lunch at a local Thai restaurant called Thai Go. After he was done getting dressed, he and his family drove off.
Once they reached the restaurant, they looked around at its awesome interior. They made their way to the front desk, and saw Oum working there.
"ยินดีต้อนรับสู่ไทยโก," she said. "Oh, Ellises, hi."
Matt smiles and waves.
The moment the Ellises are seated, Anne comes in and hands them all waters on the house.
After scrolling through the menu, Matt got the "Sa-Tae" especially because it was the least spicy of all the food.
After they were done with their meals, Matt still stayed a while to talk with Anne while she was on break.
"Your parents sure know their way around the kitchen," said Matt. "Your food is some of the best Asian food I've ever had."
"Yeah," said Anne. "Thai food is definitely some of the best food out there."
"You know, I always had this interest in Asian cultures," said Matt. "I just think they're cool."
"I feel the same way about hispanic culture," said Anne. "I even plan on taking Spanish in High School."
"I also plan on taking Spanish," said Matt. "Either that or Chinese because if I'm going to take a foreign language course, it might as well be one that I already have some knowledge of."
Meanwhile, their parents were watching the conversation unfold.
"It's nice to know that some people here don't hate Asians," said Oum. "I said before that being an immigrant was hard on me and Bee, and there were many that made fun of us for 'talking funny' and all that nonsense. It's nice to know that your son has such interest in our culture."
"I feel the same about your daughter," said Daniel. "I could totally see why they decided to be friends. They have so much in common."
"Just out of curiosity," said Matt. "And it's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but do you happen to have issues with your parents?"
"No," Anne replied. "Well, no major issues. The main 'issue' I have is that I feel like they can be hard on me, and sometimes I can lose it when that happens, but I know they mean well, so I try not to."
"I feel the same way about my parents," said Matt. "Especially my dad. Not only is he strict, but he can be super annoying sometimes. There are these times where he'd sing along to whatever song is playing on the radio or Pandora, and man is his singing off, to the point where sometimes it's funny."
Anne starts to giggle.
"I feel the same about my mother," said Anne. "But I try not to be rude about it, because my dad thinks she sounds like an angel and, well, everyone has different opinions about everything."
That's when Matt sees Oum standing in behind Anne and simply looks at her. Anne looks behind her and sees her there.
"Your break is over," said Oum. "It's time to get back to work."
"See you around, Boonchuys," said Matt.
Matt and Anne waved goodbye towards each other while Matt left the restaurant with his family.
While in the car home, Matt had a conversation with his family.
"I heard your conversation with Anne," said Daniel. "I find it interesting that you have this interest in Asian cultures. I totally see why you and Anne are so close."
Meanwhile, while Anne was busy washing the dishes, her parents talked to her.
"I heard your talk with Matt," said Oum. "And I've gotta say, even though it's heartbreaking for us to know you don't have interest in our culture, we're glad to see you taking interest in new things. We're also glad that you try to respect our opinions."
"Thanks guys," said Anne. "I'm doing my best."
The three then hug.