He pushed half his rice toward me on the longtail boat

The longtail boat to Bottle Beach was forty minutes late and the day was getting long. A man next to me opened a banana leaf parcel of rice and pushed half of it toward me. We ate with our fingers while the engine puttered and the beach slowly got bigger. I do not know where he was from. I know he put chili in everything. My eyes were running and I told the boat it was the sun. He nodded like he believed me, which I am still grateful for. The rice was better than anything I have eaten since.