Maid for Me (2 page)

Alyssa smiled. Her teeth were whiter than vanilla ice cream. “Kit invited me to celebrate your birthday, Mary.”

I knew it! Do I even look like a Mary?

“
Kit always says how great it would be for you to make more friends.” Alyssa beamed at Kit and hugged her arm around his, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Mina’s jaw dropped. The capillaries across Kit’s face erupted. Mina didn’t care if Alyssa called her Bob-the kiss she gave Kit made Mina want to rip out Alyssa’s pretty blond hair and donate it to Locks of Love.

Before Mina could budge, five waiters in blue and white uniforms marched out of the kitchen. One carried the birthday cake-a big green creamy two-tiered cake with a dazzling sparkler atop it. Like a boy band, the men sang happy birthday to Alyssa. The waiter carrying the cake placed it down in front of her. Alyssa clapped, giggled, and blew out the sparkler. The waiters clapped too and winked at Alyssa before they disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Yay! Oops, I forgot-you should have blown out the candles, Mindy. I’ll have the waiter light up the sparkler again.” Alyssa snapped her fingers to summon a waiter. She leaned forward, her arms in front of her chest, squeezing her breasts together to make them look even fuller. One waiter materialized and all but drooled at the delectable sight of Alyssa.

Instead of adding a new sparkling atop the cake, the waiter kept drooling and bumped into another waiter carrying plates. The plates fell to the floor and Alyssa laughed, brushing hair away from her face.

Looking like that, she can probably command any straight male to do whatever she wishes. Even Kit is under her spell.

No… no… no.

Mina, giddy from denial, giggled like a ditz, just like Alyssa. She fanned her heated face. “I need some air.”

Before Kit and Alyssa could see tears spill out of her eyes, Mina sprinted out of Bubble Café.

Outside in the bustling city street, Mina inhaled until her chest could expand no further. She shouted gibberish that rhymed with bit and tuck to release some steam. A minute passed. The second hand on Mina’s one-dollar watch kept ticking and yet Kit remained inside the café.

Why isn’t he coming out to see if I’m okay?

Mina had two options. She could run away. Or she could walk back into the café with her head held high and pretend she was fine. The latter would prove challenging-hiding her emotions was more difficult than passing advanced calculus. She wiped her wet eyes with the back of her hand.

It’s either fight or flight and I always choose to fight!

Head held high, Mina strode back into the café with a weak smile plastered on her face.

“You okay, Min?” Kit asked, not looking into Mina’s eyes.

“
Yup.” Whenever Mina lied, she looked at the floor and her nose twitched. This was something Kit had once pointed out.

“
I’m fine.” She sat down again.

Alyssa had already cut into the birthday cake and blurred out Mina’s name with the knife. She held a fork in her hand and pretended it was an airplane flying toward Kit.

“Open wide,
pooki
,” she said, feeding Kit the cake. Kit hesitated before he obliged, eating the cake with a big smile.

“So, you two are official?” Mina cut herself a slice of cake and stuffed it into her mouth.

Why does it taste so bitter? Must be too much matcha-powder.

Alyssa bobbed her head. “Kit asked me out last night. Yes, we’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend. Since you’re Kit’s best friend, you’re the first to know.” Alyssa beamed. “Kit says I’m his inspiration and muse. Right, pooki?”

“
Right,
mooki
.” Kit grinned like a proud, unembarrassed boy-toy, still not looking at Mina. He didn’t seem to mind the pet name calling either.

“
By the way, I helped Kit choose this present for you. I hope you like it!” Alyssa handed Mina a thick pink envelope. Mina shook the envelope before she opened it.

“
A… gift card? Thanks.” Mina squeezed the Trendy Star Fashion Boutique gift card. Every size-zero female at school wore Trendy Star clothes.

With her brows knitted, Mina slipped the card back into the envelope. Having expected something hand-made from Kit, the gift disappointed her. She had no words in her mental lexicon to describe her feeling right now.

“
Nice clothes are very important, you know,
Meena
. If you’re always dressed like a tomboy, it’ll be very hard for you to find a boyfriend.” Alyssa pouted. “And if you don’t date in high school, it’s very likely you’ll be a spinster in the future.”

Mina coughed.
Spinster? What are we, in the Eighteenth Century?

“
I like the way I dress,” Mina replied, looking away from
pooki
and
mooki
.

“
Kit had wanted to give you a whittled duckie or something silly like that, but that’s so kiddie.” Alyssa made a face.

Ducks were Mina’s favorite animal. She loved her duckie-figurine collection. The duckies covered her nightstand in her bedroom. Every night before she slept, she played with them.

Mina stabbed her cake. If she had stabbed it any harder, she would have split the plate in two.

“
Excuse me,” Kit said. He hurried away from the table toward the restroom.

Mina sliced herself another piece of cake. At first, the girls remained silent. Then Alyssa tapped her manicured fingertips on the table and said, “Kit knows about your little crush on him, Mina.” She dropped her ditz-façade. “But sadly, you’ll always be his best friend.”

The fork fell out of Mina’s hand. She summoned every brain cell in her head to quickly think of a witty comeback.

“
I know that. A guy can have many girlfriends, but he’ll only have one best friend.”

Alyssa arched a brow and ran her finger over her glossy bottom lip. “You think you’re so smart and witty don’t you? Well, guess what. Kit’s in love with his girlfriend. Not his best friend.”

Ouch.
Before Mina could think of a retort, Kit returned to the table.

“
What are you girls talking about?”

Alyssa twirled her hair. “
Meena
was just telling me how happy she is for her best friend. She and I will get along just fine, right Meena?” To Kit, Alyssa smiled. To Mina, she smirked.

“
Right.” Mina shrugged. Knowing Kit wasn’t oblivious to her feelings surprised her. Using Alyssa to reject her, Kit disappointed Mina. She would have been less disappointed if Alyssa really were a harmless bimbo.

Mina stared at Kit, wondering why the boy of her dreams couldn’t see through Alyssa’s delicious exterior into her rotten core.

And why he chose to hurt me like this on my birthday.

*TWO*

Half an hour later, Mina left Bubble Café, trailing behind Kit and Alyssa. Alyssa locked her arm around Kit’s and pulled him toward the street curb.

“
Take me shopping, Kitty-Kit. I need a new dress for a charity ball next weekend.” Alyssa waved her hand to catch a cabbie’s attention.

“
But I had promised Mina I would spend the day with her,” Kit said. Alyssa pulled his arm and pouted.

Kit gave Alyssa a signal with his eyes before he faced Mina. “Want to go shopping too, Min?”

Mina shook her head, her face expressionless. “You know I don’t like to go shopping. Besides, I have to run some errands for my mom. You guys go ahead and have fun.” She smiled, the corners of her eyes unwrinkled.

Kit’s eyes brightened. “You sure about that, Min?”

Mina tipped her head, avoiding eye contact.

“
Okay. I’ll see you later then.” Kit smiled, holding Alyssa’s hand.

Mina waved and turned away. Her legs brought her halfway down the block in seconds. Tomorrow, her eyes would be puffy from crying. For now, she forced her tear ducts to behave.

Why can’t you run after me and tell me you’ve made a mistake, Kit? That you’re not superficial like all the other boys- it’s what’s inside that matters. Isn’t it?

Mina turned around and saw Kit and Alyssa enter a cab they had just flagged. Kit didn’t even look Mina’s way.

I guess if you’re happy, then I’m happy, Kit.

The minute the cab disappeared, tears rolled down Mina’s cheeks.

She ran down into a subway station to take the orange-line train home. Numb from heartbreak, Mina sat next to a bum wrapped in fifteen layers of rancid clothes and garbage bags for the entire ride. In vain, the bum tried to chit-chat with Mina. No one had ever sat next to him on the train before-most people wouldn’t even ride in the same compartment with him. Seeing Mina cry, he offered her his own black hankie. It was whiter than Alyssa’s teeth when he had found it.

“
You know how us folks like to tell people
the end is near
? Well, let me tell you one thing, sonny-boy,” said the bum with a high-pitched voice. “This is just the beginning.”

Mina pumped her fists, blowing her nose into the bum’s handkerchief. “You’re right. I’m not giving up on Kit that easily.”

~*~

Half a block away from home, Mina couldn’t believe what her dried eyes saw. She cussed, spotting blood splashed all over the porch and front door of her house.

“
What the heck?”

She dashed toward her mother who stood by the door. Kaila Lin held a wet, reddened sponge in one hand and a metal bucket of water in the other.

“
Are you hurt, Mom?” Mina ran her hands over her thin mother’s body, searching for any gushing wounds. “Where did this blood come from? Did you call the police?”

Kaila placed the bucket and sponge on the floor. “This isn’t blood. It’s red paint. Don’t ask me any more questions. Your squeaky voice is giving me a headache.” Kaila wrinkled her nose and sniffed her daughter. “And you smell like a dumpster.”

Mina sniffed herself. “What are you talking about? I smell like peaches.”

“
Rotten ones, yes. Just help me clean before the neighbors see this mess.” With that, Kaila entered the house.

Mina scrubbed the paint off the door and porch for the next hour and a half. When her hands and shoulder joints grew sore, she stopped scrubbing, even though ugly spots of red residue remained.

Mina entered her house and confronted her mother in the living room. Kaila had taken a nap while Mina cleaned up her mess. Drool made her chin shine.

“
Now can we talk?” Mina asked, prodding Kaila’s bony shoulder.

Kaila opened her eyes and stretched her arms and neck. She wiped her chin and smacked her lips together.

“
I’m hungry. Did you cook dinner yet?” She yawned and massaged the dark, puffy circles beneath her eyes. Whenever she looked like a zombie, it meant she hadn’t slept a wink the night before. Which also meant she had spent the entire night and early morning playing mahjong marathons. Illegal parlors disguised as legit-stores in Chinatown of East Uptown hosted mahjong marathons.

During these marathon games, Kaila would lose an average of at least a hundred bucks a night—on bad nights.

“
You’ve already forgotten about the paint?” Mina waved her reddened palms in front of her mother’s face. “Tell me what happened or you’re starving tonight.”

Kaila pouted like a lazy child forced to finish her homework before she could have candy or play videogames. “Oh, alright. The agency sent some
tough
boys over. Like splashing some red paint on our porch is going to scare me. Ha!”

“
Agency? You mean loan sharks? Don’t tell me the boys were debt collectors.” Mina pressed her throbbing temples and dreaded a migraine even the strongest aspirin wouldn’t fix.