“Listen, Citlalli. I know I ain’t got nothing to brag about. Never have. All I’m trying to say is that you deserve the best. You deserve someone who’s got a job even some grad school kid couldn’t do. And don’t settle for anything less.”
“Miguel, I’m touched.” I hugged him. The soju flush was deepening in my cheeks. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me. But seriously, this is my birthday, not some match-making dinner. So you two are going to stop fighting like you’re two bickering old ajumma s and pretend to have fun!”
“In all honesty, Miguel.” Rafael stared hard at his full shot glass. “I wish I’d looked out for my family the way you look out for yours. If I’d just done that, then…hell, I wouldn’t be here bothering either of you.”
Miguel pursed his lips, and then nodded. “Here. Let’s toast, man.”
“Kunbae!” We finished our first bottle in no time. I decided it was safe enough to take a bathroom break, to give the boys some bonding time. Seriously, the pair should be best friends. Both liked partying, drinking, and women. But the whole lost finger mess put a damper on things.
“Welcome back, Citlalli,” Rafael said when I returned, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Miguel just ordered his first dish in Korean.”
“Nice, Miguel! What’d you get?” I squatted beside him on the cushion.
“Well, Rafael recommended this one.” Miguel’s finger scooted down the menu. “Let’s see how adventurous Korean food can be.”
I looked at the entry and clapped a hand over my mouth. “RAFAEL!”
“Sorry. I am late.” Una rushed into the room, sweeping her shiny black hair behind her neck. Miguel almost stopped scowling. “What are we eating?”
The scowl returned again.
Moments later, (for live dishes didn’t take that long to prepare) a platter of gooey, squirming octopus tentacles was placed before us. The octopus might have been dead, but its nerve-sensitive legs still wormed around within their mushy membranes.
“Sannakji.” Miguel looked at some point in the air above the wriggling mass of legs. “A traditional birthday dish, huh?”
“Just wanted to see how much you knew about Korea, dude.” Rafael’s chopsticks probed the tentacles and threw them into a wild frenzy. Several squirmed beneath each other to escape. “And your sister. She loves adventurous stuff.”
Miguel folded his arms. “I’m not eating it.”
“Come on, Miguel. It’s not that big of a deal.” Although, if I hadn’t drank so much soju, I might not have been so brave. “Here, try one— OOPS!”
Squeezing them between your chopsticks was only half of the battle. As I lifted the squirming tentacle toward my brother’s plate, it wriggled free and crawled across the table toward safety. Una laughed, not unkindly.
“Jesus Christ!” Miguel jumped.
My next attempt was a success. Although when I placed the tentacle in my mouth, it still wormed around. I gnashed it up rapidly.
“Dab them in a bit of chili pepper sauce. That’ll take the fight out of them.” Rafael swathed his on both sides and then popped it in his mouth. “Mmmm. This is a real juicy one. Una? Which one are you going for?”
“The biggest.” Una deftly grabbed one of the more disgusting globby ones, rolled it around the garlic sauce with leisurely slowness, and chewed as if savoring every bite. “What is your choice? Miguel?”
“Oh, fuck me.” Miguel’s chopsticks hovered over the live buffet.
“You can do it, Miguel,” Una encouraged.
“Your friends back home will think you’re hardcore,” Rafael said. “This isn’t for pussies, dude.”
“Yeah, dude, I know.” Miguel’s hands shook. “You think I don’t know that?”
There were far too many “dudes” being thrown around for my liking. Miguel glanced at Una again, and then squeezed his chopsticks until his knuckles turned bright red. The octopus tentacles and I watched in quivering anticipation as Miguel slowly
“Miguel, I’m touched.” I hugged him. The soju flush was deepening in my cheeks. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me. But seriously, this is my birthday, not some match-making dinner. So you two are going to stop fighting like you’re two bickering old ajumma s and pretend to have fun!”
“In all honesty, Miguel.” Rafael stared hard at his full shot glass. “I wish I’d looked out for my family the way you look out for yours. If I’d just done that, then…hell, I wouldn’t be here bothering either of you.”
Miguel pursed his lips, and then nodded. “Here. Let’s toast, man.”
“Kunbae!” We finished our first bottle in no time. I decided it was safe enough to take a bathroom break, to give the boys some bonding time. Seriously, the pair should be best friends. Both liked partying, drinking, and women. But the whole lost finger mess put a damper on things.
“Welcome back, Citlalli,” Rafael said when I returned, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Miguel just ordered his first dish in Korean.”
“Nice, Miguel! What’d you get?” I squatted beside him on the cushion.
“Well, Rafael recommended this one.” Miguel’s finger scooted down the menu. “Let’s see how adventurous Korean food can be.”
I looked at the entry and clapped a hand over my mouth. “RAFAEL!”
“Sorry. I am late.” Una rushed into the room, sweeping her shiny black hair behind her neck. Miguel almost stopped scowling. “What are we eating?”
The scowl returned again.
Moments later, (for live dishes didn’t take that long to prepare) a platter of gooey, squirming octopus tentacles was placed before us. The octopus might have been dead, but its nerve-sensitive legs still wormed around within their mushy membranes.
“Sannakji.” Miguel looked at some point in the air above the wriggling mass of legs. “A traditional birthday dish, huh?”
“Just wanted to see how much you knew about Korea, dude.” Rafael’s chopsticks probed the tentacles and threw them into a wild frenzy. Several squirmed beneath each other to escape. “And your sister. She loves adventurous stuff.”
Miguel folded his arms. “I’m not eating it.”
“Come on, Miguel. It’s not that big of a deal.” Although, if I hadn’t drank so much soju, I might not have been so brave. “Here, try one— OOPS!”
Squeezing them between your chopsticks was only half of the battle. As I lifted the squirming tentacle toward my brother’s plate, it wriggled free and crawled across the table toward safety. Una laughed, not unkindly.
“Jesus Christ!” Miguel jumped.
My next attempt was a success. Although when I placed the tentacle in my mouth, it still wormed around. I gnashed it up rapidly.
“Dab them in a bit of chili pepper sauce. That’ll take the fight out of them.” Rafael swathed his on both sides and then popped it in his mouth. “Mmmm. This is a real juicy one. Una? Which one are you going for?”
“The biggest.” Una deftly grabbed one of the more disgusting globby ones, rolled it around the garlic sauce with leisurely slowness, and chewed as if savoring every bite. “What is your choice? Miguel?”
“Oh, fuck me.” Miguel’s chopsticks hovered over the live buffet.
“You can do it, Miguel,” Una encouraged.
“Your friends back home will think you’re hardcore,” Rafael said. “This isn’t for pussies, dude.”
“Yeah, dude, I know.” Miguel’s hands shook. “You think I don’t know that?”
There were far too many “dudes” being thrown around for my liking. Miguel glanced at Una again, and then squeezed his chopsticks until his knuckles turned bright red. The octopus tentacles and I watched in quivering anticipation as Miguel slowly
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