"Where is that woman?" fumed Mika as she moved about the dark and decidedly empty house.
Just then, the front door bursts open, bringing refreshing light into the dungeon-like atmosphere.
"Mika!" Beatrice enthused. "I just met the most amazing man!"
"What?"
"He was talking about God and God's love for us. And that its really okay to be ourselves!" Beatrice enthused.
"Hah(9)? Sounds like an orang gila(10) to me. Where did you meet him? Did he try to do anything to you?
"Mana(11) .... he was just sooo nice and warm, Mika. You should meet him! Jom lah(12)...join me tomorrow evening at the park.."
"Bea... he could a a perv(13) for all we know! How can you simply trust people you just met?"
"... he'll be there and his wife and their golden retriever and..." Bea gushed happily, oblivious to Mika's reasonings.
"Wait Bea, STOP!" Mika shrieked. "He has whom and a what?"
"Huh? Oh... I said his wife and their cutey pie doggie. They're nice!" Bea beamed at Mika, flushed with happiness over her new found friends.
Mika let out a thorough groan and slapped her forehead.
"Bea," she cautioned. "Just because a person has an ideal set of people or things around them, doesn't mean that they are nice, you know what I mean? C'mon, Bea... I've told you so many times already...air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya(14) ! What must I do to make you wake up?"
Bea stopped her enthusiastic narration of her evening's adventure, and looked seriously at Mika.
"Just because..."
"NO, Bea! Don't start again!!"
"Just BECAUSE..."
"Argh! Okay, you are going to say it anyway."
"Just because..." Bea said sadly and softly, "Just because you choose not to trust people, it doesn't give you the right to tell others not to trust people."
Bea quickly ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut before Mika could see the tears flowing down her cheeks. 'Its not fair.... why must she keep telling me how stupid I am, compared to her smart and successful self?'
Back in the living room, another set of eyes also teared from frustration. Mika stared at the photo of a middle-aged couple sitting atop a tandem bicycle, their heads thrown back as they laughed in a care-free manner.
"This is what I get for bringing her up?" she wailed to the photo. "I can't carry on like this! I'm not strong enough for the both of us!"
More tears flowed in the darkened house that night, both souls void of comfort.
(9) 'What?' in Manglish
(10) Crazy (i.e. insane) person
(11) Short form of the colloquial term "Where got?" (Meaning: 'Is there such a thing?' or the milder version of 'What nonsense')
(12) 'Come on' in Malay, usually used in an invitation to family or friends (i.e. people you are close with) to go some placeJust then, the front door bursts open, bringing refreshing light into the dungeon-like atmosphere.
"Mika!" Beatrice enthused. "I just met the most amazing man!"
"What?"
"He was talking about God and God's love for us. And that its really okay to be ourselves!" Beatrice enthused.
"Hah(9)? Sounds like an orang gila(10) to me. Where did you meet him? Did he try to do anything to you?
"Mana(11) .... he was just sooo nice and warm, Mika. You should meet him! Jom lah(12)...join me tomorrow evening at the park.."
"Bea... he could a a perv(13) for all we know! How can you simply trust people you just met?"
"... he'll be there and his wife and their golden retriever and..." Bea gushed happily, oblivious to Mika's reasonings.
"Wait Bea, STOP!" Mika shrieked. "He has whom and a what?"
"Huh? Oh... I said his wife and their cutey pie doggie. They're nice!" Bea beamed at Mika, flushed with happiness over her new found friends.
Mika let out a thorough groan and slapped her forehead.
"Bea," she cautioned. "Just because a person has an ideal set of people or things around them, doesn't mean that they are nice, you know what I mean? C'mon, Bea... I've told you so many times already...air yang tenang jangan disangka tiada buaya(14) ! What must I do to make you wake up?"
Bea stopped her enthusiastic narration of her evening's adventure, and looked seriously at Mika.
"Just because..."
"NO, Bea! Don't start again!!"
"Just BECAUSE..."
"Argh! Okay, you are going to say it anyway."
"Just because..." Bea said sadly and softly, "Just because you choose not to trust people, it doesn't give you the right to tell others not to trust people."
Bea quickly ran to her bedroom and slammed the door shut before Mika could see the tears flowing down her cheeks. 'Its not fair.... why must she keep telling me how stupid I am, compared to her smart and successful self?'
Back in the living room, another set of eyes also teared from frustration. Mika stared at the photo of a middle-aged couple sitting atop a tandem bicycle, their heads thrown back as they laughed in a care-free manner.
"This is what I get for bringing her up?" she wailed to the photo. "I can't carry on like this! I'm not strong enough for the both of us!"
More tears flowed in the darkened house that night, both souls void of comfort.
(c) Maggie Chong, 2009
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(9) 'What?' in Manglish
(10) Crazy (i.e. insane) person
(11) Short form of the colloquial term "Where got?" (Meaning: 'Is there such a thing?' or the milder version of 'What nonsense')
(13) Short form of the word 'pervert'
(14) Malay proverb, roughly translated as 'do not assume there are no crocodiles in calm waters'
