GARY'S WHITE NISSAN ALMERA arrived the destination, of a White middle-class neighbourhood, with many matured business establishments in the street's row. While the Uber driver went to get his wheelchair from the back of the car...
… Paul tweeted Alicia, informing of his arrival.
... he did 'not' have the small-change for his-50 note, Gary-then said he can pay later when they return – Paul guesstimated the time duration, he told he would call him back, in about 2 hours.
Seated on his wheelchair, in front on the entrance of the hair salon... looking up at the colourful sign-board – MATAHARI SALOON – Paul did 'not' know what it meant... but he liked it, as it sounded exotic. Before long, Alicia came rushing-out and cheerfully greeting him... and pushed the chair inside the old shop.
The interior was the opposite – colourfully deco with replica paintings like of an art gallery – and even had Vincent van Gogh's sunflower art, as the wallpaper of the saloon. Paul was impressed.
A contemporary pop-song was playing, and there were 4 chairs, which were all occupied by local Whites, probably housewives of the neighbourhood – getting their hair done by the hairstylist Asian workers.
The housewives were seated chatting and reading their choice of fashion and gossip magazines.
... then Alicia made an unprecedented announcement to everyone present.
"Hey everyone this is MY FRIEND FROM SCHOOL, Paul Walker."
Every customer was ooh-and-wowing, looking at the crippled boy, who was sheepishly grinning back, from an awkward situation. Then a housewife spoke up...
"You must be the other half of the twin... who is the famous, local celebrity of the 'Perth's famous couple.'"
"Gnarly! yes, he is, isn't that awesome...?" Alicia replied proudly from his back, placing her hand on Paul's shoulder.
"Ali, where is Jane…? I have 'not' seen her in the shop for a while." Another customer asked.
"Pfft! Where-else, she must be with her boyfriend, of course!" The third customer spoke, and everybody laughed.
"Paul came-by for his hair treatment, ladies – say bye-bye to him."
Alicia told everyone, who waved back at them – leaving the spot to the other half of the saloon behind. Paul was still tongue-tied, as Alicia whisk-him over, in his chair – as he never had a HAIR TREATMENT, BEFORE at his male-barber shop.
He had a glimpse behind the curtain, of some chairs with customers... who had their feet washed by the saloon-workers – and it reminded him of a particular washing of the feet ritual in his church, during the season of Lent.
An Asian woman with her back turned to them, was talking to the product-supplier on the phone in English, in her little office.... when she was off the phone, Alicia acknowledged her...
"Mummy..."
The rest of what Alicia said, was in Hokkien dialect...
... Paul saw the petite Asian-woman in her early 30s, well-tanned, with a face beautifully defined, with green-dyed streaks in her hair. She wore fashionable clothing, with lots of accessories. She even wore, colours that were 'louder' than her daughter.
'Was she Korean...?'
... Paul can't tell the difference, from the YouTube videos... that he binge-watched last night.
"Hi Paul, I'm Robin Wong – glad to finally meet you."
She was cheery voiced like her daughter, and she had her knees-bent, when she shook his hand, to MEET HIS EYES-LINE, in his wheelchair – instead of the majority of people... who looked-down on the top his head, while in they handshake.
... Paul instantly liked Alicia's mom and thought she had a unique name, and he had never personally known anyone... named Robin before – unless in the comic books and telly.
... Robin ruffled Paul's hair slightly with her fingers... and corked her head slightly to observe, she then spoke in Hokkien to Alicia – the only word Paul understood, out of the 'mix' it was... 'shampoo.'
The mother turned to a calling-customer... and walked away, leaving the tweens behind. Alicia pushed the wheelchair to a recline salon chair which was attached to a porcelain washbasin. She pulled the curtain close and said...
"First thing Pauly, we get your hair washed."
His barber did 'NOT' WASH HIS HAIR – he had been doing his shampooing on his 'own' when he had his bath alone, probably his mom shampooed him when he was little while growing up – and he sure felt 'ODD' THAT ALICIA, was going to shampoo him.
The petite Alicia pat the saloon chair and instructed him. "Up you go."
... Paul turned and looked back at the closed curtain for prying-eyes – before HE LEVITATED TO STAND-UP from his wheelchair, and sat himself on the higher saloon chair...
... the Chinese girl was delighted when she saw that, it was THE '2ND TIME' she saw ‘that’ – when the first time was, the day before yesterday, at the zoo – when she was over-joyed that Paul was miraculously 'standing,' like he was 'cured' – but, was ‘wrong’…
… it was his superpowers...
.... where he could 'also' fly...
Paul was physically grabbing his Daks, to put his crippled right foot on the saloon chair, and – Alicia bent over to get his left foot. Paul was curious and asked...
"Why are they washing their feet, back there?"
"Oh-that... it is reflexology, one of the several businesses Mummy had been doing. And, pedicure services too."
Paul did not understand a word she just had said... and repeated. "What 'is' reflexology?"
"That is a Chinese alternative medical treatment to massage the feet, to get perfect blood circulation so that you won't get illnesses in the future. I have some basics-skills... and if you have the time, you can give it a go – it will be good for you, Paul."
Alicia replied casually, as she reached for the shampoo bottle.
... Paul looked over at his crippled legs and mumbled…
"I think I will pass."
He would settle today of his friend shampooing his-head... BUT 'NOT' A FOOT MASSAGE – when his feet were both damaged.
... Alicia wet his hair, with a short hose attached from the ceramic-faucet... she applied shampoo and massaged it to Paul's scalp before she vigorously lathered.
It felt good and he sighed inwards.
Then, he had another question...
"... Ali, is your mom Korean...?"
"No silly, what makes you think she's Korean?"
"Just a thought – and by the Korean serial clips you sent yesterday."
... Alicia stopped shampooing, to laugh out aloud...
"It's not like that, I shared it because I love that teenage-serial yes, MY MOM AND I, ARE CHINESE."
"But Alicia, you told me, you are half-Taiwanese."
"Yes, I had told you that because MY MOTHER WAS A SINGAPOREAN... and I was born in Singapore too."
"What... really...?"
... resuming scrubbing his hair, she told her 'family-history' that Robin had earlier gone to Paris to pursue her hair-dressing course studies before returning back to Singapore, to open her own salon in Orchard Road – an expensive business district of the country.
... and before long, she fell in love with a WEALTHY TAIWANESE BUSINESSMAN, Albert Wang... who was a customer at her newly opened hair-salon...
They soon were married despite Albert's mother from the Wang clan, had objected her only son, to be married to a 'gold-digger' – and the old woman demanded her only-son to come back home to Australia. At first, her father refused...
... and STAYED ON FOR 2 YEARS – where Alicia was then born at Kandang Kerbau Hospital, in Singapore.
When his old mother had threatened to cut him off from his family wealth inheritance, Albert then decided to take his wife and newly born daughter back – and soon...
... both the Singaporean mother and daughter were officially Australians.
Later years...
... Robin had given birth to 2 sons in Australia – but Alicia's black-hearted grandmother fabricated tales... that Robin was cheating behind Albert's back – and her father believed those lies, and took his 2 sons away...
... and left – Robin and Alicia behind...
... since then, Alicia and her father WERE ESTRANGED – but Alicia decided to remain with her mother... and even changed to her mother's surname, which was Wong.
Alicia even told Paul that what she missed most was BEING WITH HER 2 BROTHERS, since her parents were separated and lived apart. The boys were now 10 and 9 years old and lived UNDER THE ROOF of the matriarch grandmother...
... and, with both the Wong and Wang families, SINCE STAYED APART in the 'same' Greater Perth...
... that was why she was attached to Baby Samuel... and considered Jane as her sister-from-a-different-mother.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
-O-
The Chinese girl finished washing Paul's hair and she wrapped a towel on his head – and led him back to the main saloon, where the customers were with Robin.
Seated on his wheelchair, Alicia now blew-dry Paul's damp hair. He was now among the conversation of the White-housewives present, going back and forth between the saloon chairs.
He listened closely to them – speaking highly of Jane's 'radio' who sang karaoke to them...
... apparently, SIMY had entertained them before during Jane's visits @MataHari Saloon – AS A DEEJAY – playing their favourite songs... and encouraged sing-alongs participations and clapping, to the merriment of everyone present.
"They think SIMY is a radio."
... Alicia whispered to Paul, laughing while blowing his hair. When someone asked when would Jane come next, Alicia replied 'no-worries… soon'.
But deep down, both Alicia and Paul knew it was 'not' possible, as SIMY was-now destroyed and was a 'dead-Radio-Ga-Ga'...
... unless Boyyo could fill-up that digital-shoe.
Next in the hair treatment was the hair-steaming – Paul went along with the flow when a huge plastic transparent dome was fitted to his head that blew hot and wet vapour on his hair – he was amused, recalling a funny episode of the animation South Park series, titled Buddha-Box.
With all the hair-steaming done, it was the job of Robin's expert hands to give a new hairstyle to Paul's head. Both the mother and daughter were in random discussion in Hokkien – Paul picked up some funny-sounding English spoken, with Robin saying...
"Ah Girl, that's 'not' possible-lehh..."
And ... Alicia urging back aloud...
"…. Mummee... just try-lorr..."
... Robin used her scissors and start snipping – and later used extra hair wax and she sculptured a new hair-do. While Paul was passive in the entire process, sitting on his wheelchair…
… without a mirror in front of him, to see...
... what was-all-the-fuss that was going on...
But he noticed Alicia was 'getting' excited by the minute, google-eyed with her mother's masterpiece...
... minutes-later...finally, they both were done. Alicia handed over a hand-holding mirror to Paul – who saw his reflection…
… and at first glance, he couldn't recognize himself sporting a newer, slick and spiky hair-do – and the crippled boy loved it...
‘Strewth! … my darn hair looked more like that... KOREAN TEENAGER-ACTOR from that serial ... on YouTube.’
<><>
AFTER ONE AND A HALF HOUR of hair treatment @MataHari... Alicia took Paul out to her aunt's famous-restaurant back in Chinatown for a treat.
... it was the 2nd time, Paul went to that establishment – where in the first time, was of an unpleasant experience – which was a different bag-of-emotional feeling, back then...
... it was the day...
... when Peter gave Jane her FIRST TENNIS LESSON – and she came to that very same restaurant, and she was eating her Taiwanese stinky tofu and in-euphoria – about her new tennis learning-experience...
... that blind-Jane had with his one-armed twin – that made the jealous with Paul lose his appetite, on that occasion – and also, with him, 'not' good in eating with chopsticks, when – he blotched earlier on-the-table... eating messy in sticks...
... and so much-so, had to make an excuse to bloody-bolt-away from Chinatown.
-O-
At the restaurant…
… Alicia chose her favourite table closest to the food counter, for fast service.
It was dim sum, once again that she ordered, which the order came fast just as she called – with 3 small baskets, of various sorts of fresh steamed-dumplings, arrived with its condiment sauces – and 2 PAIR OF CHOPSTICKS.
"Come, eat Paul – eat-while it's hot."
He held the chopsticks and sighed deep – at the tunnel-vision, that he was about to have...
... he whispered back…
"Excuse me, Alicia, I'm 'NOT' good... in eating with chopsticks."
"No worries..."
Alicia then called out in Hokkien to the waiter, but he was 'not' around – so the dim-sum chef had to walk... a long-way-back, to the kitchen... to get a set of fork and spoon...
... while Paul was waiting for his cutleries... Alicia picked a small white dumpling with her chopstick, dipped it in the hot sauce... and took it to Paul's mouth to feed him...
"Like I said, its best eaten when it's hot – open wide-wide, Pauly-poe-pee-poe..."
... she teased, and Paul took the dumpling in his mouth – and he bit... and tasted into the feel-good, juicy-crunchy prawn... that imploded into his taste-buds...
"It is called Har-Kau – delicious right...?" Paul nodded with a stupid-grin...
"Want some more…?"
... the-spiky-haired, Paul nodded again, with guilts of pleasure. Alicia giggled and took another of the same-dumpling... and she popped it into his mouth saying, child-like...
"Open wide-wide mum-mum – aeroplane coming..."
They both laughed aloud. After with some silly fun... as-they saw the serious-looking chef coming back... and handed Paul his fork and spoon, at the table.
... Paul recalled the thought of his past bad-experience, of eating that 'same' dumpling – which ended-up messy, of him 'harpooning' the soft-skinned dumpling with failed attempts... while listening to – both the BFFs talking about the-bloody-tennis subject-matter...
But it was in different circumstances today, as he noticed Alicia was an 'open book' – and she was willing to share her INTIMATE 'PAST,' since ‘their’ rescue of Baby Samuel at the zoo...
... this was the next level of friendship – where he could confide too with her on 'anything' – even though Paul had TRIED 'ONCE,' WITH Jane Wilson... 'but' failed...
"Ali... why did your mom open her business, outside Chinatown?"
It made Alicia share the 2nd part of her mother, Robin's saga unfolding – of the early 5 years in Australia, as a housewife with 3 children...
... where she was constantly shamed and humiliated by her husband's side, of the Wang clan – and her 'suspicious' father too... had given her mother a hard time...
... where...
... Robin had 2 choices when she was separated from Albert – and either return to her homeland in Singapore – or to stay…
… Robin Wong being a strong-willed woman ‘picked’ the latter, who THEN MOVED-OUT of Chinatown...
... to bravely opened the hair salon to be an independent sole-provider. And, after lots of hardship years and trials of being rejected by 'Taiwanese' society... Robin had finally managed to pull-herself-up, to succeed as the businesswoman – whom Alicia was proud of now today.
Her mother's first priority was education where she sent Alicia to a private school – Stamford High School – so that her children would socialize with other Caucasian students more... as she felt the biasness of the Taiwanese-Hokkien community where everyone was an ungrateful and greedy lot, even towards the Hokkien-Singaporeans...
... then the day came...
… when Albert Wang took Alicia's 2 brothers away – and her father even told Robin that Alicia was an illegitimate child of Robin's some-boyfriend in Singapore. Since then…
… Alicia had hated her father's poor and cruel treatment towards her mother and her – the tween had no respect nor love towards her own biological father...
... and she referred Albert Wang... as a mere sperm donor.
Paul listened to her attentively, and felt-too – he had something in common with Alicia...
... where-they both came from broken homes. Both his parents too argued and fought a lot... because his father – Solomon Walker was a compulsive gambler, with accumulating debts piled up.
... but...
... Paul did 'not' hate his father, like how Alicia who hated Albert because the crippled boy was told that GAMBLING WAS AN ADDICTION... just like cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
On the table, Alicia was still controlling her hatred, towards her father...as she sat quiet, recalling some of the past incidences of what 'cruel-things' that the ‘man’ had 'said' of her poor mother. Her eyes were welling up in tears, and she lost her appetite – Paul noticed that...
... and he reached his hand-out across the table. Alicia then anticipated, and reached OUT HERS AND GRABBED his welcoming palm – and, squeezed his-fist... like a stress-ball...
... they were both tacit, at the moment...
... peering eyes of the chef and nearby table of Asian customers were upon them – Paul 'noticed' that and let go of her hands... and he decided to CHANGE THE CONVERSATION... to cheer Alicia-up, saying...
"Ali, guessed what – the Korean drama link you sent on WhatsApp... I followed the link and watched the pilot on YouTube."
... it surprised her, and her lips curved a smile... and chuckled, wiping her tears.
"… wha…? ... Pauly, you did that?"
"Yea, I did – it was so good and engaging – that I BINGE-WATCHED THE WHOLE, entire first season last night."
"Shut up...! Way-no-way... the entire 22 episodes...?"
"Yea, that how my-whole of-Tuesday went... in my-bed... with a Korean soap-opera – crying my eyes out... especially in the 'sad-ending' of the season finale..."
They both were rapt-delighted and laughed out... Alicia was back cheery again...
"But Pauly, the love-triangle story gets even better in Season 2."
"Let me be the judge to that... Ali, no furphy-spoilers please." Paul replied with a chuckle.
"No worries... it's a deal-then, Pauly – no spoilers ahead!"
... and, he was charmed when he saw her smile again, as her usual-self – and he had also noticed that ALICIA HAD-DECIDED FOR HIM – to give the hairstyle of that heartthrob Korean teen actor's hairstyle, whom she had a ‘crush on’...
... and PAUL DON'T MIND WEARING that 'crown' for her.
<><>
HIS UBER RIDE REACHED HOME – Paul paid the returning fare, that he owed. He noticed the Audi parked at the porch... as he wheeled over at the gate.
His mother was in early in the evening – after 3 long days of working late, in the zoo's crime investigation case.
... Paul's thoughts were 'still' in Chinatown when before they-parted... where-Alicia told-that... she HAD MET A TRUE-FRIEND in him... along with Janey. She bent over and hugged him, and kissed his cheek.
-O-
His wheelchair entered the front door, and Paul noticed his twin was seated on the couch, eating his pizza dinner – and watching the local news...
... Peter was watching the latest updates, of unfolding criminal investigations of the 6 drugged zoo's security guards by Hajji... and the perpetrator who was still at large…
… the one-armed boy was hoping and praying that the inspector-mother would 'not' catch him – as Hajji had 'promised' him, that he would break the curse of the Cursed-Trio.
... Peter turned, and glanced... the approaching wheelchair from the front-door – he then pointed and laughed like a hyena...
"Did you use a pencil-sharpener to get that hairstyle! Look at 'what' you did to yourself, Poe – now you look like an awful drongo and a copycat version of Bart Simpson's spikes. It looks horrible, GO AND CHANGE IT – or else, you will be a laughing-stock at school!"
"Screw you!"
... the annoyed Paul replied back, as he headed to his bedroom, beside the kitchen.
At the IKEA kitchen table was inspector-mother... still in her uniform, as she was unwinding with a glass of red wine – and Caroline Walker's MIND WAS STILL AT WORK – focusing on the case files spread on the table surface... finding for missing clues.
She looked up at Paul coming in... she flashed a wide smile. "Crikey! Wow-look at you, Poe – with a million-dollar hairstyle."
Paul chuckled and said. "I got that done in Alicia's mom saloon. It is called MataHari – which means the 'sun' in some Singapore-language – and, she is a pretty-good hairstylist too... Paris trained."
"It must have had cost you a fortune," Caroline replied.
"No-Mom, I got it for free! But I felt 'wrong,' and so I bought some products on the way out – but even then... Alicia's mom Robin, had still-further gave a generous huge-discount for them."
... Paul told her-excited... while lifting a lime-yellow plastic bag with a sun-wearing-sunnie logo, that was filled with various hair products. His-excitement didn't stop there... as Paul forked out from his pocket a business card...
"Here-Mom, the location of the saloon... in case... you want a beautiful hair-do – then Robin... is your go-to hairstylist."
Caroline was 'touched' by her son's thoughtfulness, and she reached out to pat his head...
...but-Paul backed off, saying…
"Whoa, easy-there, Mom – 'not' the hair..."
... both the mother and son laughed...