It was embarrassing to say it myself, but I was on the side that my friends’ parents liked.
My grades were pretty good, and I wasn’t the type of person who enjoyed disobedience and bluffing. Even when I went to a friend’s house, I didn’t make a fuss and pretended to be dead, and since I was a child, I was extremely careful about manners, so I tended to help with tidying up after greetings or meals.
So, I was sure Tay's parents would like me quite a bit.
However, contrary to my expectations, when I greeted Tay's parents, they just stared at me blankly. I lifted my bowed head after saying hello, and his father, who resembled him, said something.
“Is he your friend?”
Tay just replied, “Uhm?” with an awkward face. It was then that his mother talked to me, “Ah… You’re Tay's friend. Are you in the same class? You have a different feeling from his usual friends.” She greeted me awkwardly.
I also knew exactly what kind of behavior Tay's friends had, so I understood why his mother and father were awkward. I just smiled awkwardly and said, “Yes. We are in the same class.”
It was all I had to say, and Tay was embarrassed, to say the least. His ears turned red and pulled my arm, telling me to go for dinner. Of course, Gemini seemed to like me, so he was holding my hand from the other side as Tay dragged me away.
The intercom sounded again while we were relaxing in Kalae's living room, and we went down to the house below to come down for dinner.
After seeing the table, I realized how rude and inconsiderate I was when my friends came over, because I cooked ramen, ordered delivery, or just grilled some ham or eggs for a side dish that was already there.
A large table for eight was filled with food. The table seemed to sag. I opened my eyes wide and took a glance at the food, and both Tay and Gemini seemed indifferent.
“Let’s eat.”
Tay's father bluntly urged us to eat. It seemed that his father was quite strict. He was an example of a strict father in the drama. He doesn’t laugh easily, he’s blunt toward his children, and he’s patriarchal. But that was my prejudice. This was due to the Gemini, who was nearby, approaching his father right away. His father sat Gemini on his thigh without saying a word.
“…”
“My son, let’s eat yam-yam.”
Then, my eyes widened at his father’s cute act. I immediately shifted my sight to Tay without realizing it. Tay squinted one eye slightly and drew the chair closer to me. I nodded nervously when I noticed his chin signaling me to sit down.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked for your friend’s name. What’s your name?”
“My name is New Thitipoom.”
“It’s a nice name. It turned out nicely. There are a lot of things lacking here, but you can relax and enjoy them.”
Tay's mother spoke to me kindly. I didn’t know what she meant by lacking a lot. She shouldn’t have said that even out of courtesy. But, strangely, I couldn’t keep up with his mother, who was much smaller than his father.
“Let’s eat.”
Tay took a seat next to me. I was afraid I’d eat it like in school, but there was no such thing because the side dishes were placed in separate bowls.
Tay, on the other hand, ate well. Instead of saying this and that, Gemini was busy squeezing his chubby fingers out while on his father’s thigh. His mother used to take a peek at me a lot. Just frantically reading those gazes and the strangely floating and chaotic air overwhelmed me.
