Like To Be You ✓

twenty three

Anthony Hewitt's sixty-second birthday at Otaku House is everything I imagined my Mom's official dinners are like.

A high-end restaurant with dim lighting, posh seats, and the sound of people murmuring and glasses clinking.

My mother and the company's shareholders all laugh at something Anthony says, and his wife blushes and pecks him on the cheek.

Meanwhile, I sit at the corner of the long table and stuff another piece of sushi in my mouth. I'm the only young adult here, which makes it even more awkward. I had to put my phone away because it's "bad manners", so I scroll through it by keeping it partly hidden using a napkin.

The food here is delicious. I mean, it has to be with its two Michelin stars. I pick at the last piece of my sushi, thinking about cutting it into pieces so I can savour it, before temptation comes over and I stuff the entire thing into my mouth with a dollop of wasabi that's bigger than I anticipated it to be.

Of course, that's the moment Anthony chooses to address me.

"Tell me, Neil, what do you plan to pursue after school?" He cuts his dimsum in half and takes a meticulous bite.

I'm trying not to pant like a dog with the pungency driving my mouth insane.

"Computer Science." I somehow push out the words.

"Have you applied to any colleges?" He dabs at the corner of his mouth with a napkin before taking another small bite of his food.

"I'm still filling my applications and working on my essays." I down the entire glass of water, which does not help at all.

Fuck, I'm going to die today. My mouth can't take it. I grab my Mom's drink and fish out the ice cubes using my chopsticks. I feel everybody's eyes on me as I do so.

I finally breathe when the ice cube is in my mouth, only to find the entire table watching me. My mom... She looks shocked, to say the least.

"Are you okay?" she asks me. I shake my head, still chewing on my ice. Then she notices the wasabi on my plate and begins laughing.

Anthony cracks a charming smile, then says, "What colleges have you applied to?"

Stop asking me about my future!

"MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Northwestern, and UCB. Even Georgia Tech and Purdue, but they're my target schools."

He raises his brows. "That's impressive. I presume you've taken AP classes?"

"Yes, Mr Hewitt." Goddamnit, I need tissues. I can feel the secretions building up in my nose and behind my eyes.

"Excuse me." I get up from the table and practically run to the bathroom. I splash my face with cold water and rub my tongue on a tissue. Then I go back to blow my nose in the sink. When I look up, Anthony is taking a leak in the cubicle behind me. I wash my hands and hear his footsteps as he walks to the counter, giving me an easy smile.

"I hope you're enjoying dinner." he says. He smooths his French beard.

I smile politely and nod, then back away from the counter and turn to leave.

"You know," Anthony says. I stop. "You remind me a lot of your father."

My spine stiffens, but when I look at him, he's smiling softly. His crowfeet are deep around his eyes. He looks like he's remembering something wonderful.

My father.

"You have his eyes." He says, and reaches for the hand-dryer. I want to point out that a shit-load of bacteria is going to be blown at his hands, but I can't seem to get out any words.