Curt, a college professor, lives with his lover of several years, a pediatrician of Chinese descent named Lee. Eager to write, he receives a grant to take the summer off and work on a novel. Then Lee's mother calls -- she wants to visit. Curt is eager to meet her but Lee isn't so sure ... she's of a different generation, a different culture even, and doesn’t speak much English. Still, Curt insists.<br><br>But when Mrs. Gui arrives, Curt finds himself struggling with writer’s block. He feels like an outsider in his own home when Lee and his mother converse in Cantonese, leaving him out of the conversation, and even his sex life suffers with her in the bedroom next to theirs. Can Curt and Mrs. Gui move past their cultural differences to see that they both love Lee and have his best interests at heart?

Just What the Doctor Ordered

In the window his reflection grimaced and I wished I hadn’t asked. “Forget it,” I told him, pulling away. “I don’t think I really want to know.”


I left the kitchen. Lee’s mother was in the living room now. I could hear her riffling through our DVDs, our tapes, the framed pictures displayed on top of the entertainment center. I picked up her empty soup bowl and the remainder of our dinnerware and carried it to the kitchen. 


Lee was filling the sink with hot, soapy water, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He took the bowl from me. “I’m sorry, Curt. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. We can cut this visit short, if you want.”


Chapter 16