Chinese Boy Meets Malay Girl.
When 16, I work for a florist in holiday. I need some money & taste work life. Florist offer RM45/day, Bata RM2/hr, I chose to be a florist.
First day to work, bus never came. I fear being late, so I walk 45 minutes to my workplace. When I arrived, my whole body drenched in sweat.
Florist was owned by a lady in her 30’s, tan skin, washed jeans, black blouse. When she saw a sweaty man at her door, she ask are you James?
I said yes. She pulled me a chair, took me a towel and asked me to cool down. ‘What a start!’ she said. I nodded shyly.
Break is at 12pm everyday, for 1hr. I spend most of my break window-shopping at a mall. Shoes, watches, underwear, toys I'll never buy.
I enter a grey shop: grey tiles, grey wall-paint, grey ceiling. I saw the 2 for RM50 offer, before I heard a voice I'll never forget.
‘Welcome to Giordano!’ the voice came from behind. I turned and it was the most beautiful person I’ve seen.
Skin light brown, with darker shades on her bob, a hairband fitted on top. Her smile stretches to match her jawline, eyeshadows of magnolia.
I went home, I couldn’t stop thinking about her face, and a voice deep in the drum of the heart. I spent most of my earnings at her shop.
One day there was no S size, and she went to find at the store, to no avail. Why don’t you leave your number with me? she said.
I gave her my number, and two days later she called. She told me about the new S size, but I was excited because I finally got her number.
We texted and talked on the phone every night, with the moonlight in our sights. She told me she's 22, couldn’t afford uni, family divorced.
‘Why are you always so quiet, James?’ she asked. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I was shy. And smitten by a beauty beyond compare.
On 25Dec, I took a bus to see her, with a box of huge chocolates, a teddybear, a card. I was anxious to see her, but I couldn’t not see her.
The bus stopped, and I walk down. From a distance I see the grey shop, I walk the other way to ‘warm-up’. A few saunters after, I walk in.
The grey shop was unusually filled, I walk in the middle isle straight to her at the counter. I can feel everyone was looking at me.
She looked surprised, almost worried, ‘what are you doing?’ I just wanted to say I love you. She took in my gifts, no words said.
Embarrassed, I said ‘I’ve to go. Have a good day.’ I walk off in shame, little pride in bravery. At least I did it, I thought to myself.
2 weeks passed. To the grey shop, her friends were teasing me, ‘it’s James.’ Do you adjust the length of khakis, I ask. They do.
So she took the length of my legs. ‘Thanks for the gifts, forgotten to say’ she said. I smiled. We talked as usual those few days.
One day I pass the grey shop, only saw her friend. I texted her, are you sick? She said yes. Next day same, the third day she didn’t reply.
After a week, I went to ask her friend who was closing the shop. Her face annoyed. ‘She moved to Pahang. And don’t ever call her again.’
Did she say why? ‘No. That’s all she told.’ That week, all texts and missed calls were by me. When home, I move like a body without a soul.
Open door, phone on table, threw myself to bed, blanket covering my feet. I couldn’t feel my body, but I could feel the cold.
I woke up and my body was wet. From sweat or tears, I don’t know. I ate tasteless food, drank tasteless juices. Dark clouds following me.
I walk to a store, bought couple of drinks, took all in. ‘Let anything numb my body so I needn’t suffer the pain.'
I stare at the tarred road, black and grey the same. Yet nothing’s the same.
Was it because of my race? Or my religion? Could love have triumphed over these and make room for us two? Or was I too young? I never asked.
Could race have mattered if we’re not told that it should? Can different skin colours paint a canvas of worthy admiration?
Can I understand a different language if they're spoken with love? Who sits at the gate of love? I don’t know the answers, I’ll never know.
2 months later, an unknown number texted me ‘Sayang, can I call you?’ I was furious. How could she leave me & come back whenever she wants?
What does she think I am? Who was I to her? But I replied ‘yes.’ I never got a call.
[End]
First day to work, bus never came. I fear being late, so I walk 45 minutes to my workplace. When I arrived, my whole body drenched in sweat.
Florist was owned by a lady in her 30’s, tan skin, washed jeans, black blouse. When she saw a sweaty man at her door, she ask are you James?
I said yes. She pulled me a chair, took me a towel and asked me to cool down. ‘What a start!’ she said. I nodded shyly.
Break is at 12pm everyday, for 1hr. I spend most of my break window-shopping at a mall. Shoes, watches, underwear, toys I'll never buy.
I enter a grey shop: grey tiles, grey wall-paint, grey ceiling. I saw the 2 for RM50 offer, before I heard a voice I'll never forget.
‘Welcome to Giordano!’ the voice came from behind. I turned and it was the most beautiful person I’ve seen.
Skin light brown, with darker shades on her bob, a hairband fitted on top. Her smile stretches to match her jawline, eyeshadows of magnolia.
I went home, I couldn’t stop thinking about her face, and a voice deep in the drum of the heart. I spent most of my earnings at her shop.
One day there was no S size, and she went to find at the store, to no avail. Why don’t you leave your number with me? she said.
I gave her my number, and two days later she called. She told me about the new S size, but I was excited because I finally got her number.
We texted and talked on the phone every night, with the moonlight in our sights. She told me she's 22, couldn’t afford uni, family divorced.
‘Why are you always so quiet, James?’ she asked. I said, ‘I don’t know.’ I was shy. And smitten by a beauty beyond compare.
On 25Dec, I took a bus to see her, with a box of huge chocolates, a teddybear, a card. I was anxious to see her, but I couldn’t not see her.
The bus stopped, and I walk down. From a distance I see the grey shop, I walk the other way to ‘warm-up’. A few saunters after, I walk in.
The grey shop was unusually filled, I walk in the middle isle straight to her at the counter. I can feel everyone was looking at me.
She looked surprised, almost worried, ‘what are you doing?’ I just wanted to say I love you. She took in my gifts, no words said.
Embarrassed, I said ‘I’ve to go. Have a good day.’ I walk off in shame, little pride in bravery. At least I did it, I thought to myself.
2 weeks passed. To the grey shop, her friends were teasing me, ‘it’s James.’ Do you adjust the length of khakis, I ask. They do.
So she took the length of my legs. ‘Thanks for the gifts, forgotten to say’ she said. I smiled. We talked as usual those few days.
One day I pass the grey shop, only saw her friend. I texted her, are you sick? She said yes. Next day same, the third day she didn’t reply.
After a week, I went to ask her friend who was closing the shop. Her face annoyed. ‘She moved to Pahang. And don’t ever call her again.’
Did she say why? ‘No. That’s all she told.’ That week, all texts and missed calls were by me. When home, I move like a body without a soul.
Open door, phone on table, threw myself to bed, blanket covering my feet. I couldn’t feel my body, but I could feel the cold.
I woke up and my body was wet. From sweat or tears, I don’t know. I ate tasteless food, drank tasteless juices. Dark clouds following me.
I walk to a store, bought couple of drinks, took all in. ‘Let anything numb my body so I needn’t suffer the pain.'
I stare at the tarred road, black and grey the same. Yet nothing’s the same.
Was it because of my race? Or my religion? Could love have triumphed over these and make room for us two? Or was I too young? I never asked.
Could race have mattered if we’re not told that it should? Can different skin colours paint a canvas of worthy admiration?
Can I understand a different language if they're spoken with love? Who sits at the gate of love? I don’t know the answers, I’ll never know.
2 months later, an unknown number texted me ‘Sayang, can I call you?’ I was furious. How could she leave me & come back whenever she wants?
What does she think I am? Who was I to her? But I replied ‘yes.’ I never got a call.
[End]
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