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Fact of Life #1

Fact of Life #1

Last updated on: August 3, 2011 at 3:30 am by Kathy Tuan-MacLean

Fact of Life #1 2011-08-03T03:30:00-04:00 Kathy Tuan-MacLean

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(Day 1 of Kai-Kai’s 13th birthday rite of passage)

“Do you want to hear a fact of life?” I asked Kai-Kai as we walked back to our hotel room after sitting in the hot tub tonight.

“OK, but I think I know most of them.”

“Well this one I don’t think you got. Did you know that when those 2 guys asked us ‘Where are you from?’ that they were interested in getting to know us and seeing where the relationship went?”

“What guys?”

“The 2 guys in the hot tub.”

“What 2 guys?”

“The young buff guys who asked us where we’re from.”

“I think I missed all that.”

Yes. It was clear she missed all that. She was more consumed with the water feeling too hot and wanting to go in the regular pool. But I caught everything. After all, even though Kai’s only 13, she’s 5’7″ with a model’s figure. I saw those cute guys take note of her when she walked by to inspect the hot tub, even though it was very dark.

But when the young blonde one directed his question toward us, I thought, “Really? You’re really going to strike up this conversation with her 46 year old mom?” But I told him Boston, and then the two other young Asian women in the hot tub said they were from California. Then all the women discontinued conversation with the guys and continued with each other.

I asked the women what was the most fun thing they’d done on Kauai (surfing) and their best meal (Hanmura’s Saimin). I found out they weren’t actually women but high school students, a year older than Ling.

It was very dark, so it was hard to tell anyone’s age in the hot tub. But I did LOUDLY tell the girls that we were in Kauai to celebrate Kai’s THIRTEENTH birthday. When a girls’ dad came to talk, the guys left. I think they were high school students too–they had the fat-less muscled physiques that college freshman 15 usually destroys.

“Do you think the guys were interested in those girls too?” Kai asked.

“I think they were interested in anyone who would talk back to them. And if any of you talked back, they probably would have taken it as far as they possibly could.”

“They’re interested in all these ASIANS?” (spoken with disbelief).

Pause. “Do you think those girls knew what was happening?”

“I don’t know, maybe not given how they didn’t respond either.”

“That’s us Asians, we’re so clueless.” Giggle. “But the guys also probably didn’t realize you were a 46 year old woman who’s only slept with one guy her whole life.”

Did I say it was very dark?

Like Kai, I was clueless for a long time and got myself in trouble a couple times from being too clueless.

But now I’m Mama Bear, and I’m teaching my cub the facts of life.

One lesson at a time.

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