Chapter 24

"Being picky, huh? Wait till you're starving, with nothing to eat, not even tree bark. Then you'll understand the importance of eating bugs to survive," he grumbled.

Ordinary people can't comprehend the desperation when you're lost in the jungle without any tools or food. You'd stuff your mouth with grass and eat all sorts of bugs and snakes just to stay alive. But now, with a full belly, you can afford to be choosy.

He'd already brought the food to his mouth and still wouldn't eat. How much coaxing does it take?

"I can't stomach this stuff. I don't have your experiences, but you can't force your tastes on me. Some people are allergic to seafood, some don't eat pork. You can't force them to," Brian retorted.

"You're just not hungry enough. Starve for seventy or eighty days and you'd eat anything, even a farted bean," William shot back.

"I know your missions are tough, and I respect that you can eat anything. William, there's a supermarket downstairs with all kinds of normal food. Can we have something normal, please?"

"What's not normal about this? You're just being fussy and ungrateful for what I made."

"I've had a long day and just want something normal to eat. Is this normal to you?" Brian gestured at the table. "Eating scorpions and swallowing snake heads? Can you even call this food?"

"You're just being stubborn. You agreed to give this another shot, but you're taking out all your anger on me because you can't yell at your parents. I made dinner for you, and you say you can't stomach it. You didn't live through the famine in the 70s, so you don't know what hunger feels like. You're just picking a fight, aren't you? Fine, eat or don't eat, I don't care. Starve for all I care."

"William!" Brian's anger erupted. Who was the one picking a fight? It wasn't him!

"You said we'd start over, but you're so reluctant. What's wrong with me not liking this? Can you force a Muslim to eat pork?"

"Start over? I've been bending over backward for you, and you don't appreciate it. You just want a divorce, don't you? Fine, let's divorce!"

William slammed the table and stood up, fuming. He'd made dinner, but instead of eating, Brian was picking a fight. It was clear he wanted a divorce.

""Fine, let's get a divorce! The first one to back down is a damn coward!" yelled William.

They were at an impasse, glaring at each other, anger boiling over.

William clenched his fists, kicked the dining table, grabbed his jacket, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Brian, fuming, pulled out a cigarette and started smoking.

He wasn't from Yunnan, he wasn't Dai. He couldn't stomach bugs or this bizarre food.

Seeing those bugs, even if they were fried or cooked, made him nauseous.

Vegetarians don't meat. Northerners love noodles. Muslims don't eat pork. These aren't whims; they're personal preferences.

Why did it have to be a fight, a divorce?

Couldn't we have something normal for dinner? Even takeout would be fine.

You can't force your habits on others. I respect that you had to eat these things under tough conditions, but remember this, there's a supermarket downstairs with everything, and restaurants too. We're not so poor that we can't afford a simple stir-fried carrot or a cucumber. Isn't that okay?

Who's the angry one here? It's not me, Brian Liu, being difficult. It's William Wang who can't swallow his pride. He talks about pursuing, starting over, but he thinks that because he cooked, I should be grateful and indebted. That this is how he shows love? That I should be on my knees in gratitude?

How can we live like this? Maybe it's better to just divorce.

So angry that his stomach hurt, Brian hadn't eaten much at lunch and had been drinking. He'd been at the construction site in the afternoon, and the cold wind had chilled him to the bone. Coming home to a table full of bugs made his stomach churn. This anger made Brian feel like his stomach was acting up.

What's there to eat? He was full of anger.

He decided to take a shower.

Tomorrow, he'd take the divorce papers to court. If William didn't sign, they could still get a divorce after six months of separation. He'd sue him.