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CHAPTER 2 MISS SAIGON
As December crept in, so did the dark, heavy weight of the northeastern winter.
The days felt shorter, the nights longer.
And Yuki found himself staring at his computer screen with a hollowness he couldn't shake.
It must be the vitamin D deficiency, Yuki murmured,
something he could solve with supplements or a full-spectrum lamp.
But deep down, he knew it was more. He felt stretched thin,
like the parafilm he would put over his samples.
Still, he pressed on. When one of his undergraduates botched an experiment,
Yuki stayed late to help him redo it.
When his friends invited him to tennis and a drink afterwards,
he declined with a polite but firm,
I have a deadline, maybe next time.
One evening, as Yuki trudged home from the lab, his stomach grumbled.
He passed by a new restaurant on Main Street.
MISS SAIGON, it read.
It had a cozy glow, its windows steamed up from the warm thin side.
A waft of lemongrass and beef broth tingled his olfactory receptors.
It's a Vietnamese noodle place.
A pang of homesickness hits Yuki,
knowing he will need to wait for many months until
he returns to the bowl of Jiro Ramen.
Kannai shop, specifically.
Yuki stopped at the entrance of MISS SAIGON.
He checked the prices.
$25 for a bowl of noodle and a side of spring rolls.
With tips, it's going to be more like $35.
It wasn't outrageous, but it was more than the soylent.
$3.75 a bottle, to be specific.
He would normally permit himself,
let alone all of the time it takes to get a seat, serve, etc.
Damn it, I need to save up for the car mechanic as well, he uttered.
With a sigh, he walked on.
Over the next few days, he passed the restaurant again and again,
each time he felt a tiny tug in his chest,
a yearning for something beyond sustenance,
something warm, comforting, and just for him.
That's it for the show today.
Thanks for listening and find us on X at Eigo de Science.
That is E-I-G-O-D-E-S-C-I-E-N-C-E.
03:02
See you next time!
