Saturday, February 12, 2005

Louise

I was talking to my friend Louise on Thursday on MSN. She's from Hong Kong and we were in University together. I've always felt she looked quite a lot like Athena Chu.

Its always nice to speak to old friends. Actually, we were quite close during our first year in hall. I would bring her dinner once in awhile so she would have something to eat besides sugar on toast. It wasn't because she was broke or anything - it was just because she was too bloody lazy to step out of her room (she had a toaster) and she was addicted to ICQ (to keep in touch with all of her friends around e UK).

And so we would spend many a night sitting on the floor of her room, sharing a bottle of something and duty-free cigarettes. Ah cigarettes...

When it came towards exam time & her fags have run out, I would have her meet me on the third floor corridor to sneak a smoke (she lived on the fifth & I lived on the ground floor & so I thought lt was fair). And so it was, till she met her triad-wannabe boyfriend Kevin who got so threatened by me that he told me in no unclear terms that he'd rearrange my face if I spoke to her ever again.

This was proven at my Chinese New Year celebration. Louise & I had both been nominated to our respective student societies and we were organising a dinner together. Kevin was the ever present eager (and eagled-eyed) volunteer. You can imagine the tension. I kept my distance considering they were new together & he was so insecure, it served no purpose jeopardising their relationship. But on the night of the affair she was wearing the most georgeous black dress and I just had to go over to tell her how great she looked (and to congratulate her on the success of the night)

What happened next shocked me. Kevin and his bunch of friends at his table stood up in typical gangster fashion, with their arms akimbo and heads cocked to one side. They started cursing in Cantonese (which I don't understand) and taking off their jackets. In retrospect, the scene must have been quite hilarious to a by-stander. However, with such a collective display of territorial dominance, my feathers were ruffled and I shirked away.

We never spoke much after that. And they did break up and get together several times over the next few years, (I hear he was abusive) but then again she was in love which may have clouded her judgement.

Well, now that she is back in Hong Kong and Kevin is still in the UK (that chap has failed every year... Loser) and from what I hear, the distance has finally woke her up to what a dead end he was and she has finally ended it. Perhaps now we can make up for lost time...

But I guess it wouldn't be the same.

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