Yeay = Grandma
Mteay = Mother
Aupok = Father
Pou = Uncle

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Like most mornings, they start off busy in the Duong household. Most people wake up with an alarm clock blaring by their bedside, do a yawn and a stretch, take in their daringly-awful bedhead in a mirror, and get up and freshen up and start their day with a delectable glass of coffee and breakfast. 

Not mine. My alarm clock is the sound of my parents angrily shouting something in Khmer to each other, followed by my grandmother tearing up the kitchen like she's on MasterChef, and Pou singing in the shower. Most of the time, I don't remember waking up. Those sounds meld into my dreams, and my brain blurs the line between unconsciousness and awake. 

I wake up, my head already spinning from my mum calling dad an idiot for the nth time, my eyes bleary. I wipe away whatever sleepy dust has formed and throw on my shorts. My room's at the back of the house, but the house is tiny, so I'm still quite close to the high-traffic areas, like the kitchen, bathroom, and living room. I scratch my back and walk outside, nearly colliding with Pou as he gets out of the shared bathroom. 

"Mornin'," he says, his old towel wrapped around his waist. His toothbrush stuck halfway out of his mouth, his eyes on Yeay, who was about to throw some pork into a pot of oil. 

I half wave at him, nearly slipping on a puddle of water as I step into the bathroom. Wiping away at the condesation on the glass, I pick up my toothbrush and nearly gag at the mould that's creeping up in the bathroom again. "Pou! Didn't you clean up the mess in there?"

Pou ducks his head in again, taking the brush out of his mouth. "I did! That's what your parents are arguing about. One wants to renovate the whole bathroom and the other one wants to bleach it for a week." 

I scoff. "We don't have the money for either. God, must they argue this early?"

He shrugs. "Must they argue at all? Anyway, food'll be ready soon. I gotta finish brushing and getting changed. There's only a little bit of paste left, so make sure you save some for Yeay!"

Nodding, I put the tiniest pea-shaped blob of white onto my brush. "I'll save her some. Food smells good."

Pou leaves, and I'm left alone in the bathroom. As I brush, I look around the room, trying to focus on anything but the broken mirror in front of me. A family of daddy-long-legs have overtaken one of the ceiling corners, dozens of fly carcasses strung to the invisible webbing. A few plastic plants sit sadly in a corner, looking as vibrant as they are dusty. Mum always fancied the fake plants, stating that they'll look pretty for forever, but I just thought they were tacky. 

I spit and rinse. Food's smelling delectable, and since Grandma's making it, I'm guaranteed a swathe of flavours. 

As I finish freshening up, I rush to my room and throw a shirt on, going into the kitchen. Yeay's pulling out chunks of golden brown meat from the deep fryer, placing them on a bed of lettuce leaves and rice. On the side of the plate was a freshly cut bundle of cucumber (she sliced them into stalks) and some wild tomato. My mouth was already watering. 

"You gonna help?" she asks. I nod, immediately heading toward the dishes. 

"You a good boy, you know? Your Mteay and Aupok are stupid. You're so helpful."

I smile to myself. "Thanks, Grandma. I love you."

She waves a hand dismissively, but I know that's Yeay talk for I love you too. "Set table, please? And can you get those wild animals to come in and eat?"

Laughing, I dry the final dish on the rack and start setting the table. Of all the people in my family, Yeay and Pou are my favourites. Sometimes, a conversation with either of them would be the only great thing that would happen. Grandma's always been there for me and always spoils me with her cooking, and Pou always feels more like a brother than an uncle. When he's at the bar, it feels different, like when he takes too many breaks, but that's just how family is sometimes. 

My parents though could honestly skip the country and never return, and I'd be all the better off for it. Can they actually skip the country? Thanks. 

Pou walks into the kitchen just as Grandma finishes cooking the last of the pork. Standing at the lounge room door, I look at both parents, who have resorted to sitting on the couch in silence, staring at the TV as if it did something wrong to them. If the TV were alive, it'd be sweating bullets like a snitch. 

"Aupok, Mteay, the food's nearly done," I say quietly, getting both of their attention. Dad clicks off the TV and shouts a lazy thanks, before standing up and going outside for a quick smoke. Mum just shakes her head and turns the TV back on, folding her arms. 

I turn on my heel and sit at the table, giving Grandma a look that only she knows how to decipher. 

"Them being pains again?" She mutters, handing me a fork. I nod, rolling my eyes.  

"You have no idea."

Then, I feel my phone buzz in my pocket. Pulling it out as Yeay turns around and gets a cold jug of water from the fridge, I see it's a message from Greta and Danique. 

Group Chat: The Three Musketeers

(9:23)Not Greta Thunberg: Woohoo! Parents just gave the A-OK for me going to the party! They were upset I came home late last night but as long as I keep them updated on my whereabouts I'm all good to go. You two?

(9:24)Unique + Dani Devitto: you talk too much. it's too early in the morning for your grammar and capital letters

(9:24) Not Greta Thunberg: Oh shush, you groggy fuck. Are you able to come? 

I giggle at Danique's message. I already know I won't get my parent's permission, so I'll just have to sneak out. Hopefully, I'm not working that night. 

Danique replies with a thumbs up. Greta sends an angry face, followed with 'why are you so grumpy all the time'. I laugh at the two, before putting my phone away as my parents arrive. 

We sit down, Dad crossing his legs on the seat, and Yeay recites something in Khmer with her eyes closed and hands on the table. Dad, Mum, Pou and I stay silent; we always do. Mum never knows what she says, and she only started doing it when they all immigrated here. I just assumed it was some Cambodian blessing over the food or something like that. I'm too far removed from Cambodian culture and language to really understand a lot of what they're saying, only knowing a few words here and there. Yeay could very well be saying that she hopes the pork poisons us, and I would be none the wiser.

She's soon done, and we all begin eating. Thankfully, no poison. Mum and Dad go on about their newest plans for the bar; Mum's is always aesthetic changes, like repainting some chipped wood or adding a few plants into some desolate corners, while Dad's are very business-like, stating we need to change some beers we have with newer ones, or saying we need to update the menu, or something else. I dunno. Usually, around halfway, I zone out and just focus on eating. 

Grandma's foot nudges me from under the table, and I snap out of my daydream, looking at her. She nods towards Dad, who's looking at me with a furrowed brow. 

"Were you listening?" He asks, simply. I shake my head and mutter an apology. With a groan, he shakes his head and stabs a piece of pork on his plate. 

"We've changed the shift schedule. One of our only casuals just had a baby and sent in their resignation last night. Rith, you're now working her Saturday shifts, starting this weekend."

This weekend? That's the day of the party!

"Wait, but, I've already made plans for this Saturday. This isn't fair!"

Mum shakes her head. "Life isn't fair. Do you know what's not fair? Having one of your only competent workers breeding and producing a baby, forcing themselves to quit our work so she can play parent. You're working this Sat, and you're going to continue working Sats until we can hire another casual."

I shake my head but don't bother saying anything else. Both of them are still shitty at me for the curry incident last night, so I don't bother protesting. 

Soon, both parents are wrapped up in their conversations with Yeay. I've lost my appetite, poking and sliding the pork around on the plate, when my phone buzzes. Great, it's probably  Greta and Danique. No better time than the present to give them the bad news. 

Fuck sakes, I hate my parents. 

I pull out my phone and freeze in surprise. It's Pou. 

Looking up, I see that he's on his phone. He imperceptibly looks at me, then at his parents. 

(9:40) Pou Chea: What plans did you have for the weekend?

I type out a reply. 

Danique and Greta invited me out to help me forget about the curry incident. A really nice party, with lots of food and fun. Why?

Ever so slowly, he types out a response, alternating between a single pointer finger and two thumbs. 

(9:43) Pou Chea: Go. I'll cover your shift. I've got nothing else to do that day, so I'll show up for work. Your parents won't mind as long as there's someone at the bar. 

I look up and make eye contact with him. Clasping my hands together in prayer and tapping the bottom of my lip, I mouth thanks to him, earning me a smile back. God, what would I do without my uncle?

Soon, the conversation dies down, and the last of breakfast is finished. I'm on dish duty. As I gather the plates from the table and watch each family member leave, I stare out of my kitchen window, my mind wandering. 

I wonder how Wes is doing. Surely, that shirt would be ruined by now. I wonder if things between him and his ex are fine. I've read enough fanfic and bad online stories to know that those kinds of ex-lover relationships never last. They're probs fucking, or something. 

Sighing, I nearly drop a glass. I can't get the image of his abs peeking out from his unbuttoned shirt out of my head. God, I need to go let off some steam later, before I spill more curry on more people tonight. 

I wonder if I'll ever see him again. 

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A/N: Woo, 1800 words! I've lost count of my total, but I know it's passed 10,000 now! Yay! (Well, at least, I hope it has lol. Haven't been logging it into the NaNo website, so, yeah. Kind of want to just keep writing until I feel like there's 50,000 words, less pressure, but yeah.)

Anyway, how did you all find this chapter? I hope you all liked the glimpse into Rith's personal life. His house is cramped, it's falling apart, and his parents are tight on money. Really trying to paint the image that his family is broke without straight-up saying it. Let me know if I was successful or not. 

Thanks for leaving votes and comments as you all read along (and an even bigger thanks to the ghost readers reading this). Seeing those little numbers get bigger and bigger with each update is fuelling my motivation for writing this. Your support means SO much to me!

With all my love,
J. S xx