1. and happy, the man seemed to have something to tell me. All eyes were on me as he dragged me to a table set lavishly with 2. bowls, 3. napkins, and a 4. of 5. sashimi strips, 6. of shrimp, 7. crab, and 8. lobster (all tail and no claws). 9. people piled food on my plate and someone poured me a drink. Moments later, the first man returned, dragging a second in cummerbund and flip-flops.

‘Welcome to you,’ the 10. man said in 11. , drunken English. ‘Very lucky! Very, very lucky!’

Disengaging myself from a 12. of lobster tail I stood and thanked the man, and agreed that I was indeed very 13. to have stumbled upon such a feast.

His smile was 14. , all mouth and eyes.

‘No…my meaning is that we are lucky. For Chinese wedding…you coming means baby will come soon.’

The man, I found out later, was the groom. And my 15. arrival, according to tradition, portended 16. conception.