Thread: Culture Clash (DaddyIsHere and TerraFirma)

MAX Ambreen. It's one of those names that is either A Cool and exotic for the slightly more advanced people in Spokane, Washington. B The perfect name to fuck up every time someone tries to say it. Amber? Amb-uh-reen. Sometimes even Abilene or Aileen. I like to say I was in the first category, but I wasn't... exactly. I remember hearing about this new restaurant opening, an Indian restaurant. We were all picturing, like, flatbread and Maize and wampum, but then my Mom explained that it was from India and totally different. My mom is really cool, by the way. She was raised in California where your town having 'culture' doesn't mean that it has an Olive Garden AND a Red Lobster. A bunch of the neighbors were making jokes about Curry and stuff, and it pissed Mom of so much we went down that night to order takeout. I still remember the smells and walking in and seeing her. I was seventeen, so I'd be bullshitting you if I said I didn't notice her body. Even under her modest clothes, I could tell there were some curves under there. The thing I noticed the most was her face though. She was just... I have no idea how to say this other than 'beautiful'. I'd never seen another girl like her. She was sitting at a table in the corner, studying in between helping out. So I walked right over to her and said, Welcome to town, my name is Max and I'd love to show you around. She looked up me and said, It's so nice to meet you Max, I would love it if you showed me around. Okay, back it up. I didn't say that. I was always incredibly shy. I stood next to my mom and glanced over at this beautiful girl about every three seconds, glancing away if she even started to look toward me. I was not the high school heartbreaker. I suppose I was decent enough looking... I guess. I was in good shape, but I was second string on the basketball team, wore glasses, and had about zero self-confidence. Later, I had a few 'girl friends' telling me the only thing stopping me in high school was that lack of confidence. They said there were about ten girls more than ready to date me in our class, but I was just too awkward. We actually went to different high schools, so the only time I saw her was when we went to their restaurant about once a month. They actually didn't do the buffet thing all that often, just on the weekends. It was much later that I found out they actually served more Pakistani food, since that was where they were from... but 'Indian' was easier to communicate. Their restaurant had more meat dishes good for the West, though they always had some veggie dishes too. I learned to like the food quickly... mainly because I was always hoping for a glance of Ambreen. Any excuse I had when we went out, I always asked for Khyber Pass. Even my buddies were sick of it. McDonalds? Nope, how about if we go and get some naan and curry? All for the chance to see her. Anyway, they came to town my Senior year of high school. Fast forward a year. I still hadn't had the courage to speak to Ambreen at all, and it was one of my big regrets when I headed off to Colgate that I still had never broken the ice. I showed up at Colgate feeling like I'd finally come into my own. My acne had cleared up, my coordination had finally arrived, and my lanky body had filled out a bit. I'd decided that this was a new chapter in my life. So, I showed up at the Freshman mixer and I look across the room. Who is there, but Ambreen, looking more gorgeous than ever. So, I walk across to her and I lay this perfect line on her. I uh... I uh... Samosas are really good. How's that for smooth?