I don't lie. I just don't tell the truth.
Final project.
Label
Nguyễn Tú Trân.
***
“Sorry for waiting,” She said with a smile, while
coming toward me.
Trying
to be as professional as I could, I said, “It’s okay. Nice to meet you,” then I
raised my hand and waited for her to make a handshake. Seven minutes late
wasn’t too bad for the first day of work. I could tolerate that.
We sat down and she went
right into the point, “So what is your expectation for me?”
I looked at her. She
seemed to be a modest and ordinary Asian girl: average height, small breasts,
and there was not much make-up on her face. A youngster. I chuckled to myself.
I told her about Polarista, my two-year-old start-up company about brochure
design. At this moment, we were looking for lots of young and passionate
interns.
She got quiet for a second
then looked at me and asked: “Can I come to your office in the weekends, if I’m
free?”
I laughed, “Come on Mai!
Don’t you party every week?”
She shook her head. “I’m
under 21,” She said.
Then she looked outside
from the window as I just approached a sensitive subject. Behind those glasses
were beautiful crystal clear eyes. I didn’t say anything either. In front of me
was a typical little Asian girl who had a strong passion for graphic design and
a boring ordinary life. I could definitely imagine her in the library under so
much homework that she couldn’t have time to hang out with friends, have a
couple of drinks, or get a guy. Somewhere in me was raising a feeling of an
unknown satisfaction. I gave her some pictures to retouch and she finished them
without complaining anything. The first day couldn’t have gone any better.
At five in the evening, I
drove home. There was something needed to be done. I sighted. Opening the door,
I saw my wife sitting there, reading the newspaper while waiting for me to have
dinner. I kissed her on the forehead and asked how her day was going without
actually listening to it.
Then I asked, “What did
your dad talk about it?”
“It will be transferred to
your bank account next Monday,” She hugged me from the back.
I got relieved. We had
some casual dinner then I went out for a couple of drink. I got lost in the
crowd and just enjoyed my glass of Vodka. Suddenly, the image of Mai appeared
in my head. At this time she would be doing her homework or my work that she
had brought home. Then my eyes got wide open. Mai was in front of me and as I
was staring at her, she was also staring at me, eyes wide opened.
Now she was sitting in
front of me. We didn’t say anything. As I thought I should be the one to start
the conversation, there was only one thing I could think of.
“Someone told me she was
under 21 this morning,” I said.
She looked at me and
laughed out loud, “I’m sorry. I said I was under 21. I didn’t say I didn’t
drink!” Then she started laughing again, “It’s a working environment. What do
you want me to say at that time? Yes, I’m under 21 and I drink quite a lot?”
I looked at her feeling a
bit humiliated but at the same time, there was something about her that drew me
in. Mai wore a sexy silky black dress with hair tied as a bun to show her
beautiful clavicles and white skin. Her make-up was a bit heavier than in the
morning. Her luscious and well-defined lips were painted in blooded red. Without her glasses, the depth of her
eyes was unveiled. I felt like I was being drawn into the darkness of sparkling
stars.
“What’s that?” Her voice
suddenly woke me up from a sweet dream.
She was so close to me.
The plunging of her neckline drop down, disclosed a part of black floral bra and
her cleavage. I couldn’t control myself but put my lips on hers. Her lips were
soft like marshmallow and I was just licking around the deadly sweetness of it.
We went to a motel nearby.
Just when our door was opened, I lifted her whole body up, gently but fast taking
off her clothes. I was on her and we were both harmoniously dancing in a
ghostly song. What was the morality that we had to abide by? That question
appeared once or twice in my mind, but at that time I just wanted to enjoy our
moment together.
The sunshine from the
window licked on my face and woke me up. Mai was nearby, gently sleeping like a quiet puppy. Yesterday was not a dream. My
heart jumped for a second but I looked at Mai again, fondled her soft pinkish
cheeks like baby skin. I could feel a soft spring weaving from every corner of
my heart to the part down there. Some parts of me were mentally and physically
woken up and I felt so lively.
Later on when Mai woke up,
I asked her where she would like to go for breakfast and without a second of
thought, she said, “La Boulange.”
I had never been to La
Boulange before. There was something too fancy about it that didn’t suit me.
But Mai obviously loved that place. We went inside and I suddenly knew why I
had felt that way. It felt like the time stood still in this shop. Everyone
took their time to look around the cakes. There were many, too many indeed. Mai
looked at colorful Macaroons then looked at me. Her eyes sparkled. I giggled
then nodded. She chose ten out of them and I picked a simple breakfast pizza
with a coffee.
I was about to sit down in
the shop then she said, “Let’s eat outside.”
La Boulange was inside
Yerba Buena garden so right in front of it was a field of green grass. What a
nice location. I thought to myself. We sat down and Mai took a bite from the
mango Macaroon, closed her eyes, then slowly chewed it. There was something
hunting about this girl that I couldn’t take my eyes off.
Suddenly she looked at me,
her eyes whirled deeply into my soul, “You want some?”
I vacillated for a second
but then got closer and took the other half of the Macaroon from her hand. My
lips touched her fingers. She seemed to not mind then sucked her fingers to
clean them up. I felt a bit turned on. A quiet moment passed by. Then Mai lied on the
grass and asked me to do the same thing. It was a comfortable feeling that I
haven’t felt for ages. I closed my eyes and felt the cool wind kissing all over
my face.
“I love to lie down on
the ground, look up on the sky, and wonder why I was born, why things happened
the way they were,” She whispered from far, far away, “Was it meant to be
something?”
I heard her voice but
wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or just mumbling to herself. I wouldn’t
mind. This feeling was too good to be woken up.
I went home. My wife
was there. I kissed her on the forehead and asked how things were going. She
got used to the fact that I wasn’t home sometimes because the company was still
in a hard time to find a placement in the market. I hoped she also knew that we
haven’t had sex for two months. I dreamed of the day I could hang out with Mai
again.
Few weeks later, on a
Thursday morning, I told my wife I wouldn’t come back that night then left. At
work, I couldn’t concentrate. The tremendous amount of work was eating me up so
when Mai decided to hang out at her place, I happily agree. Her apartment was a
clean and organized studio. Here and there were hanging many pictures of her
and her friends. None of them were ours. We shouldn’t, obviously. While I was
looking around, she came to me with a glass of drink.
“My mom always made
me lime juice when I got sick,” she said. “Don’t worry. It’s delicious.” She
winked at me.
Suddenly I felt my heart was melted. Was it why she
wanted us to stay home? I hugged Mai but she didn’t react. Then she opened the
window, went out to the balcony, then picked up a cigarette in her pocket. I didn’t
know she smoked. She busted a smile and fired the cigarette. Mai took a deep
breath, looked up on the night sky with twinkle little stars, then blew out a thick
smoke. The smoke danced ghostly in the sky then later vanished in the air. Suddenly,
I got astonished when a song started to fly out from her lips.
Feeling my heart was beating fast, I asked, “What kind of song is
this?”
“9 Crimes by Damien Rice.
Good song.” She smiled like nothing happened.
She knew it wasn’t the answer I was looking
for. Suddenly she kissed me then smiled naughtily. It was the first time she
took the initiative. It was sweet like gummy bear. I replied by another kiss
then we both smiled. What I just thought, I couldn’t remember. I wouldn’t mind
forgetting it either.
The next night when I
went home, my wife was waiting for me behind the door.
“You didn’t answer my
phone call yesterday. What happened?” She asked.
“I’m sorry. I was
busy with work and forgot to pick up the phone.” I said.
My voice raised a bit higher than normal.
Mistake. I knew what was going to happen next. She started to tear up. I hugged
her. I apologized. I hold her tighter. She struggled. She punched my chest. She
pushed me away.
With tears all over her face, she cried
out, “You get bored of me now, don’t you? You used me and now want to leave me,
don’t you? ISN’T IT BECAUSE I’M INANIMATE?”
The last word tore my heart into pieces. I
ran out of the house then got to the car. I didn’t know where to go. I just drove.
Her last word still echoed in my head. I got one voice message from her, then
many later. She cried. She apologized. She begged me to come home. I didn’t
reply. I was exhausted.
Mai came out of her house, looking at me
surprisingly, then let me in.
She brought me a cup of hot tea and said, “I’m
busy with my final today. But we can have sex later.” The last line was dropped
like thin hair.
That night wasn’t the same as any other
nights. My anger, my desire, my exhaustion, my thirst, I pulled them out in every
movement I made. Her body tallied with mine. I bit her lips. She uttered
softly. It was a vague idea on the first day we met but now it was clear like
crystal. There was a strange bonding between us. Love perhaps?
I found myself being
the luckiest man alive. After that night, my wife wouldn’t dare to complain
about my suddenly–busy schedule. She said it was a good thing. We still didn’t
have sex, but occasionally I would hug or cuddle her so she knew the sky wasn’t
falling. In another hand, I had Mai with no strings attached.
Time was passing by. It was so fast that
finally her internship came to an end. I did give her a job offer, but she
denied since she got a better job from a company in our city. At least she was
still with me so either way was fine. Thus probably she thought it would be
better for us not to work in the same place so I happily let her go.
On the last day of work, when Mai came to
pick up her office supplies, she brought a young guy with her. Suddenly a cold
shiver ran down my spine. She showed him her workplace while he was holding her
hand. Then she asked him to pick up some heavy things for her and gave him a
kiss. Everything happened right in front of me. When the guy was bringing her
stuff downstairs, Mai came to my office.
She looked at me in the eyes then smiled,
“You thought we were lovers, didn’t you? No one knows what our relationship is.
No picture was taken. We have done everything, except getting a label for it.”
I got threatened. None of the words could come out from of my mouth. Then I
remembered my wife. She would still be in the house reading the newspaper and waiting
for me to come home.
“Now aren’t you thinking of your wife?” Mai
didn’t stop talking yet, “But should we call her your wife anyway? She has the
label but nothing else.”
Then she smiled, let me stay there bewildered,
and walked away.
/The end/
