• Part One: Dim Sum At 6 a.m.


• Part Two: Faithless Love.


• Part Three: 3 Times A Week.

Indie sat across the table, both of us chatting merrily while we waited for our breakfast to arrive. It was Sunday morning, the perfect time for a girl to discuss all the juicy details from the night before. Who better to discuss this with than your best guy pal?!

“You what?” Indie asked.

“He fell asleep and I walked out of the room.” I explained.

“You are never going to alone upstairs with him ever again. You understand?” Indie said. He sounded unusually stern and serious.

Indeed it was an unusual incident and it was truly very serious. Serious like Indie’s face this morning during breakfast. His eyes were smaller than usual. He looked tired.

"What's the matter?" I asked him. His face grimaced.

"You know lah... I am a vegetarian." He replied.

In a way, Indie replaced Eve after she started going to another city for the weekends with Arif. He was different from Eve but he was a great joy to have around. He was tall and handsome, with a nice body. He had a childlike smile that melted more than a fair share of women. I vow by that because I was there when all the ladies eyed on him.

We frequented similar places during weekends. This particular weekend however, we decided to split up. He was at a reggae bar with some reggae boys and a guitar. It was a laidback bar, frequented only by those who knew of the place. One would only be there by invitation. I loved the mellowing factor but did not seem to fit into the whole atmosphere.

You see, my dear readers, the place is filled with a smell that raises an eyebrow or two, if you know what I mean. As curious as I am, I never was curious about smoking – cigarettes or weed for that matter. Call me geeky or whatever, I have never tried either, not even a puff.

That soulful place was not for me. I cannot name the place or even conjure a new name for that place due to the fact that it should remain unknown to those who do not know of the bar (for you know what reasons).

“Damn it.” He laughed. “How insulting.”

“Huh?” I was stumped.

“How insulting. He fell asleep when both of you were alone in the hotel room when he could have fucked you silly.” Indie said.

“Yes, he did.” I said, then taking a deep breath.

“David’s really weird. Just don’t get that guy.” Indie said.


***
”Why?” he asked.

I groped in the dark, my right hand searching for the button to switch on the bedside lamp. Short hand at four, long hand at five. It was 4:25 in the morning and David was on the other side of the phone line. I gently rubbed my eyes. Damn these 5:00 a.m. calls, I thought.

“People always asked who you were whenever you visit me in Lola. They asked if you had a boyfriend. Blah-blah-blah.”

Hiccup.

“Why? Why did you have dinner with another guy tonight?”

“David, it’s late. Can we talk about this later?” I asked.

“No, we can’t. We talk about this now. You know, Otto." Hiccup. "You know it.” He ranted on. “You know I have been waiting all this time. Why?”

Click.

Before I could say anything in my defense, the phone went dead. Many said men are brave when they are drunk. I was not certain if that was a brave act or an act while one was drunk.

It was the most revealing conversation I have had with David. All our conversations prior to this were of general topics. We never intruded into each other’s private lives.

Truth be told, the man I had dinner with earlier in the evening was Seven. He was in town to attend a seminar. He skipped dinner with his workmates and had dinner with me instead. It was quite some time since we last met. Probably more than 3 years. We spoke often using the MSN, always planned to meet up, always coloured the calendar for a date to meet up and always cancelled at the last minute.

I do not understand David. He did not call me that night after he hung up. He did not call me for a few days. Our next meeting happened in The Datai, where a big group of his friends were occupying a third of the whole bar. He had the social power where he could text to the numbers listed in his mobile and scores of people would turn up minutes later for a party he organized impromptu. He walked in after 2 a.m. when Lola was closed for the night. In his arms was a girl, beautifully dressed in a dinner gown. She had a slim figure and I wished I had dimples as endearing as hers.

David, as you know by now, had many friends. However he was hardly ever alone with any one person. I have known him for almost two years at this point and I have never seen him being intimate with any girl. Ever. But there he was, hugging her. Kissing her passionately. He caressed her gently. They were both giggling. They were obviously drunk.

I tried to look away but I was curious. I glanced swiftly across the bar every few minutes. My eyes bore witness as they grew physically intimate. The scene might have upset a girl or two but I was not. I was never and still do not have any emotional ties to David, so it was intriguing watching him do tricks with his tongue.

I turned my attention back to my table of friends, with Indie by my side. We were playing “King” when suddenly I heard a familiar revving of a car engine.

He was walking to his car, the girl clinging to him. They were laughing, oblivious to everything around them.

“I don’t understand that guy. Seriously.” Indie said.

“Neither do I.”


***
It was nearly a month before David invited me and a bunch of friends for drinks in Lola. We never spoke of the night when he called me while drunk or the night when he went home with another girl.

To be honest, there is nothing to speak about. He is single and he rightfully has the right to have the pleasure of anyone’s company. The incidences never bugged me. The same way it does not bug me who Indie or Adidas Boy went out with or had sex with.

As far as I was and am concerned, they are all healthy men and like all healthy men, they need their share of weekly shagging. Doctors now consider 3 times a week as the norm. I have discussed this with many girlfriends but they do not seem to understand.

I am very practical in this sense. If you are not offering the guy a shag, then back off and let the man go have his fun. I think this is why I can be really good friends with Indie and Adidas Boy. I knew when to give they space. If ever I call, I call them once. If they do not pick the call, I leave them alone. I never ask them more than they are willing to tell me.

And David is still not telling me anything.