Short Story : In One Moment [Page 2]

IN ONE MOMENT by Tobin Cheung [Page 2]

Somewhere down the hall and around the corner is the sound of women’s high heels clicking on the ceramic floor. It is the rhythm of pretty girls parading their sexuality. High heels mean high maintenance. I do not qualify for anything above one inch, I simply cannot afford it.

The dance like pattern has intrigued not only me. Several other men and women have their eyes set in anticipation for what will appear. No disappoints, 5'11" and 6'1" in their three inch heels, they are attired to tease. So much so, that their naked body could not compete with the mirage they had on. With their chin held high and their gaze pointing straight, they walk past the many onlookers with confidence.

My girl Liz is not quite so exotic. Don’t misunderstand, she holds her ground. Under normal circumstances she is a tight little package and worthy of jealousy. She is picture perfect for the front page of a teen glamour magazine. She is what scrawny, flat-chested teenage girls want their bodies to proportion to once they develop. At 5'4", slim and padded in just the right places, Liz knows she is better than average. Though she may pretend not to notice, she is conscious of boys staring at her ass, of men wanting equal opportunity, and of sugar daddies pretending to be gentlemen.

In the beginning, I thought her aloofness to other men was a credit to the attention I gave her. Now, I’m not quite sure. I might be mistaking her loyalty as something permanent when in fact, she may be temporarily settling. Her past relationships have been, from what I’ve gathered; exciting, fast, heavy and turbulent. I, in comparison am harmless.  

“Testing, testing, let’s hear the drums. Bass, you’re up next.”

The monotonous thump, thump, thump pounded against my chest. I could feel my heart skip as if adjusting to a more stable tempo. On cue, the two divas re-emerge from the bathroom. How can it be said that we are descendents of apes, maybe some of us unlucky ones are, but certainly not these two creatures. Either evolution has advanced ten folds more for them or they are the result of nothing less than a miracle.

All eyes were on them, watching as they balanced down each step. Envious girls chanted incantations under their breaths in hopes that they would trip and come tumbling down. Meanwhile, the boys switched on their photographic memory at a hundred plus frames per second to record every image and have it played back thoroughly through a not-so-innocent dream.

Almost forgetting about Liz, I snap my head around and scan the area twice over. She must be still in the ladies room. The amount of time I spend waiting for her to use the bathroom, to leave the house, to keep pace has forever altered my perception of a minute. She never does a number two in public washrooms. Even on a number one she glides opposed to using the toilet seat. Her wish is for everything to be touch-free. Infrared light is the most glorious invention of all time according to her.  

“Check, check, back up mic one and four holler back at me.”

The door to the bathroom opens again and I expect Liz to come through. She does not. I should have known better, she never follows an act in which she cannot compete. Although the divas are gone, their presence is still felt from the scent of their fragrance lingering in the air like a spell cast over the onlookers.

Atop the stairs standing motionless, just long enough to capture a still image, is a girl incomparable to supermodels and divas. She is the girl from childhood that made you first take notice of the opposite sex, naturally beautiful the way God made her. 

[To Be Continued]...