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The roasted bird sits in the center of the table. It has been divided into parts and some are already on the family’s plates. Looks like Silvia and I have interrupted a family dinner — her family dinner.
Grandma says, “I’ll get you a seat. Silvia must have been too shy to let us know you were joining us. Let me get a chair--”
“Mom, let me. You come here and eat with us. Dessert can wait inside the kitchen.” The middle-aged woman who was talking to us turns to one of the rooms.
Silvia hurries behind the middle-aged woman. “Mom, let me. He can use the chair in my room.”
I... I hurry to follow. I should be the one helping with lifting objects. Though it probably looks dumb for three beings hurrying to get a chair, racing to arrive before one another.
I sit among all the humans, clenching a fist under the table so none of them will see it. I put my tail somewhere they won’t see. There’s no reason I should be nervous. This isn’t the first time I’m a different species while all the others in the group are the same, but...
Silvia is watching me with a grin on her face. I wonder whether she’s putting on an act.
Grandma says, “I’m so happy to have everyone here. And welcome, Yuhan.”
I clear my throat with my cheeks burning. “Thank you. I’m so happy to be here.”
Under the promise of a bed for the night. I wonder whether this is a good deal.
It takes seconds, and my plate is piled full. Not only full, but food is stacked up on top of each other.
Silvia chuckles. “Give it a try. I’m sure you will like the food.”
I stare at the roasted bird, mashed potatoes, cornbread, roasted corn, pork side rib, baked greens and oranges, and even more food, picking up my fork. Had I known...
Silvia winks at me, which has to be her way of warning me to finish everything on the plate. I fork a piece of roasted bird, putting it into my mouth.
The meat is tender, and the gravy on it is nice.
I blink to find everyone looking at me, but when I look up from my plate, they all look to the side or busy themselves with their food as if they haven’t been looking at me.
Have they never seen a nogzul before?
Silvia winks at me again. I think... I fork a slice of the bird to her and she eats from my fork. Maybe this is what I should do to pass as her mate.
Her boyfriend, as humans like to say, instead of her mate.
I hold her hand instead of clenching a fist, which is probably better. My heart races again, even though she shouldn’t cause such a reaction to me.
“Yuhan, what do you do for a living?” Silvia’s mother asks.
I swallow the food in my mouth. I suppose I have to answer it myself before Silvia will make something up to get through. “I do trading, mostly finding new business clients for my company.”
I can almost hear the whispers in these humans’ heads, and that puts a weight on my chest. My job is a good one. Why do they give me that look, as if I’ve done something wrong?
More importantly, there’s no reason why I should care about what these humans think about me. I’m only staying here for a night, and at most another morning, then I’d be gone from here and will never see these humans again.
But there is a twitch in my tail, as if something is wrong with my thoughts. What can that be?
Before they ask me more questions, I keep eating. I was already full when I ran into Silvia in the lobby of the hotel. Now, I’m supposed to eat all the food here, too...
Whoever calls this Thanksgiving may be joking.
“How did you two get to know each other?” Silvia’s father asks with a light frown. I suppose he is confused when Silvia’s path and my path don’t seem to cross.
Except, I’m not good at coming up with a convincing story.
Silvia says, “A few years ago when I worked on the tourist board. He was here on one of the tours. We’ve been messaging since.”
