VegasPete : Chess Room (The Way You Taste sequel)

Side Story - Chapter 2 - Pete

They don't want to leave the sea.

They are having fun.

We dare not to take that hapiness from them.

"I wish this moment could last forever..." My daughter says, looking at them while cuddling Khun Kan's second child in her arms."

"Look at Pete...he's so happy...He didn't know what it was like to have a loving father and brothers until Khun Kan arrived here with his children and Lian."

A shadow appears on her face.

I know I touched a deep wound.

My daughter speaks to me, without taking her eyes off all of them.

"None of them will know what it's like to have a loving father, mom." She kisses the baby's forehead. "Or a loving mother."

"Maybe there's another way, dear..."

She shakes her head and turns to me.

"Maybe Pete will be the luckiest one. At least he will have you and dad."

"What about Kan and his children?!"

"Things will not be the same for them either."

"I see... things could have been different...you could have been a happy family."

"...uh?!"

"You and Kan, dear..."

"No...we couldn't mom... she would never have allowed it."

"Lin?!"

"Namphueng."

...

Pete's mother POV (past memories)

"Ugh...Fuck..."

There he goes again...to the ground.

Despite his height and strength, that boy has been teased by the other boys at the training center for days.

"Argh..."

I look at the clock.

Sigh...

This is taking too long. It will be too late to call mom and dad this way...grandmaster will not allow it.

I approach the boy who is being beaten by the other boys. He takes some down, but got punched too much.

"Your Thai boxing won't help you in this fight."

"Uh?! Do you speak Thai?!"

"Don't attack them. It's about balance. Use the strength of their attack against themselves."

["Fēi huáng, do you want to be beaten up in his place?!"] (Mandarim)

One of the seniors grabs my collar and threatens me for talking to the foreigner.

["I apologize. He was not disrespectful to you. He does not speak our language well yet."] (Mandarim)

["That foreigner will learn the hard way then."] (Mandarim)

["Give him a last chance, senior. I'll teach him manners."] (Mandarim) I smile and ask kindly.

Senior makes a face but agrees.

["...only this time..."] (Mandarim)

"Hey! Fucker! Let him go!"

"No!"

Oh no...senior is about to let us go when that Thai boy comes to my "rescue" and punch him in the face.

["...I'll kill you, foreigner!"] (Mandarim)