Part I
Part II
I remember how I met her.
I was shopping for a bath robe for my mother at Robinson's and
being a typical male, could not, for the life of me, find where
they were. I looked around, found a staff member and asked for
help. Goofy was how I sounded.
"Would you mind telling me where I can find the bath robes?"
Her delayed reply rather annoyed me. I was already cursing at the
screaming kids, irritating Christmas jingles and mindless people
that were foraging through the Christmas sales. Lucky for her, or
me, she was rather good-looking. That helped things a little.
"Why don't I bring you to that department? Maybe I can help you
select a suitable one. Is it for your wife?"
Now, I don't remember Singaporean sales staff being that helpful,
nor personal. Before I could think of a suitable reply, I found
myself following her to a section that I swore I browsed through
moments ago. I guess being male makes you blind when buying bath
robes.
"Well? Who is it for?" She asked again.
"Er... My mother." I replied.
"Her favourite colour?"
"Yellow."
When we (more like she) finally decided on which one to get, I
proceeded to the cashier and paid for my purchase. She was still
with me, like she was worried I wouldn't pay or something.
"Say, do you want to help me shop for something for my dad
now?"
My dumbfounded look was a Kodak moment. I couldn't really find
anything intelligent to say so I muttered, "Huh...?"
"I said, I need to get a present for my dad, and I'd like you to
help me out. That's why I'm here. I don't work here."
I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. And plant some cabbage
while the soil is still soft. I don't know how long it took me, but
when I finally found my voice,
"Then why did you...."
"Because you're cute!" She cut me off. It's like she anticipated my
every move. Are men that predictable? "So are you gonna help me or
what?"
I had never experienced the feeling of total elation coupled with
extreme embarassment at the same time. My heart was beating double
time and my stomach, triple. I looked at my feet. Damn! My shoes
needed cleaning.
She slid her hand under my arm and started to head for the men's
section. "Come on, relax, it's not that hard, my dad isn't really
fussy."
After we selected a blue pinstripe Aldo Rossini business shirt size
15, and paid for it, I was feeling much more comfortable with her.
She showed no hint of remembering my embarassment from moments
before. Instead, by that time, I not only knew her father's shirt
size, I also knew that he didn't like green, that his favourite
food was fettuccine carbonara, that he called her roly-poly when he
wanted to annoy her and that his golf handicap was 15. I was
smitten by her through and through. So lively and spontaneous, open
and uninhibited, charming and intelligent.
"I want to see you again." I said as we left the department
store.
"Why?" I swore that sounded a little cold.
"Because I still have other presents to shop for, and I'll need
your help again." Of course, that wasn't the reason.
She raised an eyebrow, and then smiled. It was then that I was
taken. The pure, unadulterated smile that is her signature.
As we navigated through the Christmas crowd that evening, I could
only sense all things beautiful, the Christmas carols lingering in
the festive air, the smiles of little kids eating lollipops, and
the joy in my heart that would only grow in time to come.
