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“Is something wrong?”
“Hate a woman who picks at food,” Bear scowled. I blushed.
“Oh, I’m not picky….”
“Don’t excuse yourself; your figure is fine. But then again, you’d know that being as you’re starving yourself,” Bear snapped and took a bite of his burger.
“Shut up and let me finish!” I snapped back, and Bear blinked. “I suffer from a condition called idiopathic gastroparesis.”
“Huh,” Bear mumbled around a mouthful of food.
“Basically, I have a condition where I digest food slower than most people, and it takes longer for it to pass through my body. Sorry, you’re eating, but you asked. Actually, no, you didn’t; you judged me for a foo-foo society girl. I’d love to finish an entire burger, but it will cause me excruciating pain later. However, I usually get child-sized portions because I can never eat a complete meal. I feel full after one of those,” I explained.
“Will you be okay eating that?” Bear asked, swallowing.
“Nope. Foods such as oranges, broccoli, high fibre foods, and high-fat foods cause my condition to flare up. I have to avoid fizzy drinks as well, as they can cause pain. But burgers are worth the pain,” I said.
“What are the symptoms?” Bear asked, his attention on me.
“Do you want to know?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as I picked up a fry.
“Yeah, wouldn’t ask if I didn’t,” Bear said.
“Nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, severe stomach pain, bloating, and terrible heartburn. They don’t know what caused my condition, but I was diagnosed when I was seventeen. I ended up hospitalised after collapsing in school. Grandmother rushed to my side and pressured the doctors to find what was wrong with me. Truthfully, I think they would have discharged me with indigestion if not for her,” I replied.
“Damn, you take medication?” Bear asked.
“Yes, it controls the condition but doesn’t cure it. There isn’t a cure, just methods of containing and controlling it.”
“This hereditary?” Bear asked.
“I very much doubt Clio has it,” I said.
“Wasn’t asking for that reason, was thinking your parents dealt you kids a shitty hand. Then one of them dumps this on you,” Bear said. I took another bite of my burger and chewed slowly. Okay, that was sweet.
“I’ve never asked, but I should have,” I said finally. I made a mental note to ask Grandmother on our next call. If it was hereditary, then the odds were another sibling would suffer the condition too.
“What you wanna do after this?” Bear asked.
“Sorry?” I asked, surprised at his question.
“Said what do you wanna do after this?” Bear grumbled.
“I’m not understanding,” I said, puzzled.
“Can’t say it any clearer, princess.”
“Why do we have to go anywhere?” Bear sighed at my question.
“Because princess, I’m teaching you about our life.”
“Stop calling me princess! Teaching me means we have to go somewhere?” I asked. Why couldn’t Bear tell me about MCs here?
“Well yeah, I don’t want to teach you sat in a burger bar,” Bear said and took a bite of his burger.
“Okay, is there a park?” I asked, thinking open spaces and people was a great idea.
“Yeah, I’ll take you to a local one,” Bear said. Hungrily, I took one more mouthful of fries and shoved my plate at Bear. No more, I could already feel my stomach tensing. I grabbed an indigestion tablet and swallowed as Bear finished his meal and started on mine.
