Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Doped
Almost a month ago on the Friday before I left for Asia, I finished work close to 8pm, having just shuffled to and fro from one end of town to another to manage a certain client’s expectations. By now I was exhausted and the prospect of having to unpack my suitcase which I have procrastinated since my January trip back from Singapore and having to repack them again to get ready for the early morning flight next day appeared a daunting task. The sky was spitting rain and I juggled between balancing my umbrella on one hand and carrying a heavy box of dietary supplements that was worth close to a grand. It was delivered to my offices earlier in the day and I had been under strict instructions from my mother to take them back to Singapore for her.
It was one of those big weeks I had at work. My hair was dishevelled and my face pale with fatigue. As usual, I left my stilettos at work and had my old, comfy and crumbly white loafers on, looking totally mismatched with the classic black and white printed satin dress I had on and my mixed strand of black and white pearls hanging around my neck. Given the weight of my cumbersome box, I walked awkwardly towards the train station. I looked like shit and felt like one. My only suppressed excitement was the thought of reuniting with my friends and the Old Boy at Prive where a table was booked for me for the following night to celebrate my homecoming. I would be home in less than 24 hours…
Walking towards the traffic light, I noticed a couple walking towards me in my direction. I could not believe my eyes.
To call or not to call out to him since I looked like shit? Anyway, I thought why not since our affair has long been over and he was still very much a dear friend to me.
“Hey C!” I called out to him in his informal name. I found the voice addressing him sounding a little like a stranger.
He acknowledged my presence with a nod and a mumbled hi but continued walking past me as composed as ever with the girl holding his hand. I didn’t quite expect that reaction. Isn’t it more “normal” for someone to stop, say hi and make small conversation with an old friend when one bumps into another? After all, our affair was a thing of the past. It ended about a year and the half ago.
That must be his new girlfriend it seemed. She was long- haired, tall, slim, pretty and fair girl. She looked like she was originally from China. I wonder what happened to his Designated Love of almost eight years and how they broke up. After all, she was enamoured by him and built her entire life around his plans. Conversely, he never had the intention to leave her since he often felt that strong sense of duty towards her. Every so often, we emailed and I would asked if anything new was happening in his life and the answer was always the same- nothing much, still the usual. I was under the impression that they were still living and being together.
I continued standing at the traffic light waiting for it to turn green. I turned my head in their direction and my eyes followed the back of their silhouettes, watching the couple walk further away from me and into the dark.
Out of the blue, C turned back and glanced back my way. In that split second, I noted a slight twinkle in his eye. He gave me a half conspiratory smile.
Seemed like my dear innocent Dope is dopey no more.
Almost a month ago on the Friday before I left for Asia, I finished work close to 8pm, having just shuffled to and fro from one end of town to another to manage a certain client’s expectations. By now I was exhausted and the prospect of having to unpack my suitcase which I have procrastinated since my January trip back from Singapore and having to repack them again to get ready for the early morning flight next day appeared a daunting task. The sky was spitting rain and I juggled between balancing my umbrella on one hand and carrying a heavy box of dietary supplements that was worth close to a grand. It was delivered to my offices earlier in the day and I had been under strict instructions from my mother to take them back to Singapore for her.
It was one of those big weeks I had at work. My hair was dishevelled and my face pale with fatigue. As usual, I left my stilettos at work and had my old, comfy and crumbly white loafers on, looking totally mismatched with the classic black and white printed satin dress I had on and my mixed strand of black and white pearls hanging around my neck. Given the weight of my cumbersome box, I walked awkwardly towards the train station. I looked like shit and felt like one. My only suppressed excitement was the thought of reuniting with my friends and the Old Boy at Prive where a table was booked for me for the following night to celebrate my homecoming. I would be home in less than 24 hours…
Walking towards the traffic light, I noticed a couple walking towards me in my direction. I could not believe my eyes.
To call or not to call out to him since I looked like shit? Anyway, I thought why not since our affair has long been over and he was still very much a dear friend to me.
“Hey C!” I called out to him in his informal name. I found the voice addressing him sounding a little like a stranger.
He acknowledged my presence with a nod and a mumbled hi but continued walking past me as composed as ever with the girl holding his hand. I didn’t quite expect that reaction. Isn’t it more “normal” for someone to stop, say hi and make small conversation with an old friend when one bumps into another? After all, our affair was a thing of the past. It ended about a year and the half ago.
That must be his new girlfriend it seemed. She was long- haired, tall, slim, pretty and fair girl. She looked like she was originally from China. I wonder what happened to his Designated Love of almost eight years and how they broke up. After all, she was enamoured by him and built her entire life around his plans. Conversely, he never had the intention to leave her since he often felt that strong sense of duty towards her. Every so often, we emailed and I would asked if anything new was happening in his life and the answer was always the same- nothing much, still the usual. I was under the impression that they were still living and being together.
I continued standing at the traffic light waiting for it to turn green. I turned my head in their direction and my eyes followed the back of their silhouettes, watching the couple walk further away from me and into the dark.
Out of the blue, C turned back and glanced back my way. In that split second, I noted a slight twinkle in his eye. He gave me a half conspiratory smile.
Seemed like my dear innocent Dope is dopey no more.
