No Way Out

Chapter 16 - Numb

Stella ----->

Friday afternoon soon came, as much as I dreaded it.

I liked the weekends, it was time I could hit the bar with Jess, go to the cave or just lay on my bed with a good bottle of whiskey and some Beatles playing on the old record player.

But not this Friday.

No, this Friday I was dragged out to take the subway to Sogo shopping mall and to also stroll around Causeway Bay. I was literally swooped off of my feet by Amy and Stella. Not much of a choice to go or not, really.

They had taken me shopping and for an afternoon tea in Causeway. It had been a while since I’ve been there, I must admit. I often just go to the stores nearby my house or I call a stylist and bill it to the irritant I call father.

It felt weird, in a nice way, to go out and shop with people my age and gender again. It was a somewhat old feeling that I seem to be reliving or something.

It was nice.

We stopped by many boutiques after going Dai Fak Gong and Sogo, two of the larger malls on Hong Kong Island, not to mention pricey too but at these malls – every bit is worth every penny.

I had planned to just pull something random out of the closet to go to the karaoke but the girls decided they wanted to ‘beautify the dull, unapproachable and easily-irritated girl’ to someone happier, cheerier and to ‘emphasize my beauty under all of my long hair’.

Boy, are they weird.

But I suppose, in a way, they know what they are talking about since I don’t. I thought my normal ripped jeans of black clothing would be fine - apparently not.

We had to go through several, what seemed to be, hundreds of pieces of clothing for me before we all settled on something each of us liked, including myself. Amy and Stella on the other hand had long since chosen something and paid for it so shopping for ‘perfection’ in ‘the eye of the beholder’ wasn’t too difficult.

We went from store to store, trying on every piece of garment that I would gag at repetitively which would only encourage the girls more to shove over my head. I threw on countless shirts, dresses, shorts, skirts, pants and finally settled on an outfit.

I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as the other leaned back while I stretched and yawned. Extremely unladylike of me, but oh well - it felt nice. A relaxed sort of nice, one where there were no worries - like that old saying from Lion King, Hakuna Matata.

We bid each other farewell at the subway station because it was almost time for the Karaoke and they had to go home to get ready, what with their circle lenses (contact lenses people use to make their pupils look bigger), make-up and shoes. Oh and not to mention hair, that was definitely an important factor since they forced me down on the salon chair earlier this afternoon. But I eventually threw a giant fit and left the salon in a huff, where the girls repeatedly parroted the other with apologies to the staff.

I liked my hair, I don’t care that I haven’t done anything with it. No one really seems to care anyways so why must I make it difficult for myself by going out of my way for others? Sounds a bit selfish, yes, but I think it’s downright logical.

Isn’t it?

When I finally got to the lobby where the doorman opened for me, Mr Sing stared at the items, causing my hands much pain, with surprise.

“Ms Mai, that’s quite a bit of shopping you have there. Are you alright? I haven’t seen you shop ever!” The kind, grey and furrowed eyebrowed elderly man exclaimed at me.