Monday, September 19, 2005,8:37 AM
Faithless Love



I brushed my teeth and changed into a black Victoria Secret teddy. It was a gift from my Swedish love four years ago when he was away for a business visit in Chicago.The phone rang.

"It's taking a long time before everything is out. Will you come down to keep me company?" He asked.

My delicious dawn dim sum breakfast with David was cut short when he received a phone call to return to Lola. I offered to keep him company but he had earlier asked me to go home while he worked. I am not sure what made him change his mind. What was worst is I am now not even sure what made me agree to change from my teddy, drive fifteen minutes to Lola at 8:00 a.m. after a full blown drinking session the night before.

My logic at that time was it was something that I had never done in my life and I wanted to experience as much as I could before being tied down by a wedding band.

"Let's go to the guesthouse." Those were the words he said as he led me through the pub, out through the side door and up a narrow stairs four doors away. It was a guesthouse of some sort. It offered a special package where one could check in at midnight and check out by midday. Many of Lola’s patrons frequented it whenever they were too drunk to drive home. Or so they say.

I recalled what my father told me years and years ago: "Guesthouses are very dirty and dangerous. Girls should never go in alone, without any company."

Now I have traveled a little and from the little that I did, I know that not all guesthouses are dirty. Or dangerous, for that matter. However even my adventurous heart was wary of going to a guesthouse with any man.

Wearily I walked up, three steps behind him. David opened a room door and closed it after I walked in. He took off his shoes and washed his face. He was grumbling about his job as the owner: I had not slept in two days, just organizing the damn DJ stint.

The damn DJ stint he organized last evening must have afforded him another monthly installment on his car. He jumped into a single bed and asked me to lie on the other. I did not really know what to do at that time. All I thought was “Die lah, die lah this time.”


Dear readers: Please realize that one should not possess an adventurous spirit such as mine. I get myself into far too many awkward situations than I am comfortable with. Sometimes I wonder if I am like a cat, having nine lives.

"Why do you always look so sad?" he asked. "You shouldn't think so much about life, you know. You will think yourself silly..."

I tried to etch a smile.

He closed his eyes. It gave me a good excuse to leave, so I tried to excuse myself. He declined, citing that he was resting his eyes. He slept within minutes. I tip toed out of the room. I felt bloody embarrassed walking out of the guesthouse.

Never ever again. Bloody embarrassing, not to mention reckless, I thought to myself.


***
Hours later I rang Eve and we had an early lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Without nothing much to do after the meal, we took a slow ten minutes walk.

Eve and I were childhood friends since we were forced to sit next to each other at the age of 14. I had a small box in my vanity table, where I kept all the silly notes passed between Eve and I as we grew up. Silly notes of undying love for Jonathan, whom I was sure was looking in my direction during tuition. More scraps of paper where Eve confessed to kissing her neighbour, a boy in college. A short collection of scribbles and sketches we drew of each other to pass the hours away during Accounts and Science classes.

The walk took us happy pair along a new block of shops, where a small foot reflexology centre recently opened. Eve smiled wickedly. She nudged my arm and walked into the shop. Soon both of us were seated next to each other and two ladies in cream linen uniforms began kneading our feet. I cooed, appreciating the sensation on my feet. Being a very tactile person, I always had a thing for foot massages.

We popped into Lola to check David out. I felt rotten (but relieved) for walking out of the room without informing him. In a moment of being more socially intelligent (I had many moments when I felt really stupid) I popped into Lola to see if David was up and in the pub. He was not. His chief of staff was though, so I asked him if David was up and about.

“I think he's still asleep.” The chieft of staff said.

“Anyone with him?” I enquired.

“I think there is this Salem girl with him upstairs. I can see her car in the parking bay.”

I nodded and smiled. Walked out of Lola and back into the company of my best friend, Eve. I felt a great sense of achievement for avoiding a rather difficult situation. I twitched my nose as I imagined the door opened by a beautiful china doll wrapped only by a tiny hotel towel.

He called about 6 hours later, apologizing for falling asleep. We never spoke of that night ever again.
 
posted by Otto
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