Eat a Bowl of Tea

Because Lau Shee is a devout Christian, Ben Loy and Mei Oi are married in the Sun Lung Lay village church in what the families consider a modern ceremony. However, Ben Loy, Mei Oi, and their relatives all wear traditional Chinese clothing, much of it borrowed. The absence of the fathers is noticeable: Mei Oi is escorted down the aisle by her uncle, while Ben Loy stands next to his uncle at the altar. The post-ceremony feast in the village lasts two hours.

When Mei Oi meets her father for the first time at the New York airport, she does not recognize him from the photos she has seen. She awkwardly greets her father and new father-in-law. The long car ride into Manhattan worsens the motion sickness she experienced on the plane, and she is miserable when they arrive home. Wah Gay and Lee Gong propose another banquet among their Chinatown friends to celebrate the marriage of their children.

The narrative returns to the morning two months after the wedding when Ben Loy is woken by the sex worker’s visit. Ben Loy is reluctant to leave Mei Oi in the apartment but must go to work.