1
Some people are creatures of the night. I am not one of them. Staring at the building before me, its name glittering in blue and green neon lights: Blue Lounge, I checked my phone. Midnight.
“Are you sure it’s not too late?” I asked.
The group of women surrounding me all stopped what they were doing. Three pairs of eyes immediately turned on me.
“Late,” said April, a fellow teacher who worked with me, “are you kidding? The night just started.”
I held back a sigh and surveyed the women with me. With April were Steph, our school’s attendance clerk and May, one of the school counselors. As the new face, they had all decided to show me around my new city.
“The Blue Lounge is a great place to unwind on a Friday night Gaonou,” Steph said to me, leading the way inside. “You’ll like.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say it was no longer Friday, but I caught myself. I didn’t want them to think I was unappreciative . I wasn’t. In the month that I’ve moved and started, the three of them were becoming great friends.
Pushing back my desire to be at home, I headed inside. We found a table right away and before I knew it, a drink was in front of me.
“So,” asked April, “what do you think?”
“It’s nice,” I answered, honestly. Despite the tacky neon sign, the inside of the lounge was tastefully done in dark hues. The music wasn’t annoying loud and the crowd was older, less immature. “Thanks again for doing this.”
“You don’t have to thank us,” May said, and April and Steph nodded in agreement. “Besides, it gave us a chance to get out too.”
I smiled. Out of the four of us, May was the only married one, the only one with kids. “Did your husband mind at all?”
May made a dismissive sound. “No. But his mother sure did. She thinks married women should do nothing but work and stay home.”
“That’s why you don’t live with the in-laws,” Steph chimed in.
“Are Lao parents the same?” I asked.
Steph nodded. “Maybe even worse. You know Asian parents and their traditions.”
“Of course.”
We all laughed. The conversation flowed from family to work and then to anything. We were in the middle of a discussion about a new movie when a man stopped in front of our table. He greeted all of us before turning to April. Signaling to a group in the corner, he asked her to join them for a drink.
Silence fell over the table as April thought it over.
“Sure,” April finally said, and then turning to me said, “Come with me.”
“What?” I blurted.
“Please, Gaonou.”
I looked helplessly at May and Steph.
“I’m married,” May explained.
“I’m engaged,” Steph said, flashing her ring.
I knew someone had to go with April. We couldn’t let her go alone. I just didn’t want to be that person. Reluctantly, I followed April and the man, who’d told us his name was Paul.
When we reached Paul’s table, every pair of eyes looked up at us. Dread came over me. It felt like we were intruding and it was the last thing I wanted. I told myself I would only stay long enough to make sure April was comfortable and safe and then leave.
“Guys,” Paul started, “this is April and Gaonou.”
“Hi,” April said, dazzling the group with her smile. April was attractive and knew how to play up her features so I wasn’t at all surprised by the men’s attention to her.
Neither was I jealous. Next to her, I knew I looked plainer, but I didn’t mind. I was who I was and for the most part, I was comfortable with myself. I didn’t like fake lashes, so I leave them out when putting on makeup. I hate being the center of attention, so I dress modestly.
Saying hi, I sat down next to April. The seat next to me was empty and I thanked god for it. There was something about Paul’s group of friends that put me on edge. They reminded me of the type of boys I avoided. The type who did things the hard way.
Never one for easy conversations with strangers, I let April do most of the talking. My mind wandered as my eyes found the night sky and I thought of all that had happened in the last two months. I smiled to myself, not really believing it.
And when I looked back, I found a pair of deep brown eyes staring at me.
