Tag Archives: Natalie Wu

Dogged Ma; chapter nine, part two

Chapter Nine; Part Two

I settled back to watch the movie, enjoying being with ‘my people’.  Oh, I knew that was more fantasy than reality, but it was nice to be surrounded by Asians.  Even better, people had no compunctions about yelling things at the screen, so it was more of an interactive experience than if we’d gone to an American cinema.  I booed lustily every time a bad guy came on screen, and I whistled with enthusiasm for my girl, Michelle Yeoh.  When Donnie Yen tried to put the moves on her after realizing who she was, well, I almost lost it then and there.  The two of them were favorites of mine, and so damned good-looking.  The only thing that would make it even better would be if Tony Leung Chiu Wai were in the movie as well.  Maggie Cheung, too.  Oh, and Jet Li, of course.  That would be a dream come true.

“Wow, she’s really good,” Ted commented, whistling through his fingers as Michelle executed yet another complicated maneuver.  We enjoyed the rest of the movie in a very vocal manner.

“What’s the second movie?”  I asked, stretching at the end of the first.  I was fading slightly, but I knew I’d perk up for something good.

Irma Vep,” Ted said, glancing at the paper in his hand.  It was a poster for the evening, but I didn’t know where he had gotten it.  “Maggie Cheung is hot in black leather.”

“Yeah, but I don’t like the flashing lights.”  I shrugged.  “It’s up to you.  We have to at least go to the concessions so Tamara can make her move.”  Ted laughed and playfully socked me in the arm.  We grabbed our jackets from our seats so they wouldn’t be stolen.  Ted grabbed my hand and marched me into the lobby.  I saw the two girls who’d been dissing me in the bathroom standing in line for popcorn.  I nudged Ted in the side and nodded at the girls.  He hesitated before taking me over to the line and standing a few people behind them.  He radiated so much personality, I was surprised the people in front of him didn’t get singed.  He pulled me closer to him as the two girls turned; I was meanly glad to see the expression on their faces when he draped his arm around my shoulders.  I snuggled against his chest, tilting my head up so I could look seductively at him.  That was enough to spur Tamara to walk over to us.

“Teddy!  It’s so good to see you!”  Tamara squealed, nudging me out of the way.  Even though she was ninety-five pounds soaking wet, she packed a mean elbow.  I moved to the side so I could enjoy the show.  The other girl was watching, too, as well as a half dozen other people.  Tamara raised on her tiptoes so she could plant a wet one on Ted’s lips.  He pulled back quickly, smiling down as he did.  I stifled a laugh at the sight of red lipstick smeared across his lips.  “Oops, I marked you.”  Tamara used her finger to rub sensuously against Ted’s lips.  By the looks of the erection building in his pants, he wasn’t totally adverse to her charms.  Like a snake honed in on its prey, Tamara noticed Ted’s reaction as well.

“Tamara.  It’s been a while.”  Ted held his arms slightly in front of his body to protect himself from Tamara’s advances.  I suppose if I were a good person, I would extricate him from the situation.  However, I was enjoying myself much too much to do that, so I watched Ted suffer without doing a damn thing.  “This is my date, Margaret Wang.  Margaret, this is Tamara Huang.  Her friend is Natalie Wu.”  Two more big-shot families in the Taiwanese community.  Big fucking deal.

“Wang?  Are you related to Andrew Wang?”  Tamara asked sweetly, knowing full well I wasn’t.  Andrew Wang was perhaps the most well-known business man in the Taiwanese community, and I was sure Tamara knew his family history by heart.

“Nope,” I said cheerfully.  “I am related to Peter Wang, however.  Does that count?”  Tamara’s mouth dropped open at the name of a notorious criminal in Taiwan.  He was on their top ten most wanted list and had been for fifteen years.  He was well on his way to becoming an urban legend over there.  “He’s a second cousin once removed or something like that.”

“Oh, how interesting.”  Tamara looked as if she wanted to say something far less banal, but good breeding stopped her.  Of course, she hadn’t display the same taste in the restroom, but she hadn’t realized I was there, either.  She turned back to Ted, subtly blocking me from Ted’s view.  To her shock and my amusement, Ted reached around her and pulled me to him.  I didn’t mind, and it gave me the opportunity to show Tamara my pearly whites.

“Have you seen Lucinda lately?”  Natalie blurted out, earning a dirty look from Tamara.  I understood Tamara’s frustration as it was hard to work somebody over if he were distracted by the name of his former fiancée.

“Nope, not for a while,” Ted said easily, placing his hand on the small of my back.  He began caressing the skin there, much to the discomfort of Tamara and Natalie.  I, however, was becoming turned on.  “Except when I go to my parents’ church, obviously.”

“She misses you a lot,” Natalie continued, seemingly oblivious to the growing ire of the alpha female named Tamara.  I might have to reassess my conclusion that Natalie was the follower because she was sure stomping on Tamara’s toes.  Maybe she was a loyal toady of Lucinda’s and was only hanging out with Tamara because Lucinda wasn’t available.  This was better than any Chinese soap opera, and I didn’t even have to pay to watch it.  I waited to hear what Natalie would say next.  “She cries about you all the time, you know.  She’s even seeing a therapist to understand why she messed up so badly when she was with you.  She’s really trying, Teddy.”

“I’m glad for her,” Ted said politely.  He turned to me and said, “Margaret, do you mind if we skip the second movie?  I have the sudden urge to blow this joint.”

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Dogged Ma; chapter nine, part one

Chapter Nine

“Girl, what are you wearing to dinner with Ted?”  It was Ned on the horn, of course, as I drove home from work.  “It better be something fierce.  He’s a great catch, and I just wished he swung my way.”

“I’m glad he doesn’t,” I retorted, executing a quick lane change to avoid a yahoo who didn’t seem to know you’re supposed to signal, look, then change lanes in that order.  I was using my Bluetooth so I didn’t feel guilty about talking while driving.  I just wished other idiots would catch a clue and do the same.  Most people were horrible drivers when they had both hands on the wheel.  Divide their attention by making them hold onto a phone with one hand, and it was a disaster waiting to happen.  “I was thinking of wearing jeans and a t-shirt.”  I wasn’t, of course, but I wanted to tweak Ned for having so little faith in me.  Just because he was a fashionista didn’t mean that I was some slouch when it came to dressing myself.  I knew what colors and lines looked good on me, and I wasn’t afraid to flaunt what I had.

“You wouldn’t!  You couldn’t!  He’ll take one look at you and run,” Ned moaned, proving once again that he was the drama queen in our relationship.

“Shouldn’t he like me for who I am?”  I asked innocently, wanting to see how far I could push Ned.

“Only after he gets to know you,” Ned shrieked, causing me to flinch.  Luckily, I wasn’t in the middle of a tricky maneuver, or I’d be in trouble.  “Until then, you have to put your best foot forward.”

“Relax,” I said mildly, approaching my apartment building.  As usual, I had to look for a place to park as both sides of the street were filled with cars.  “I clean up good when I want, and I definitely want.”

“Call me when you get home.”  It was an order, not a request, and I decided I better fulfill it this time.  I clicked off the phone as I swung into a spot right in front of my apartment.  Talk about your karma.  God must be looking out for me.

“That was a joke,” I said out loud, not wanting another visit from the Almighty.  “In fact, can you not show up tonight at all?”  I didn’t think He would as He rarely showed Himself in front of others, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

“No problem!”  A voice boomed as I unlocked my door.  “I wouldn’t want to impede things with Ted.”  I ignored Him as I hopped out of my car, fairly confident He wouldn’t talk to me out in the open with the chance of someone coming along.  No such luck.  “I think you should wear a skirt,” God continued as I walked into my apartment and checked my mail.  He didn’t manifest, however, so I was pretty certain I was the only one who could hear His voice.  “I gave you a nice pair of legs, and it wouldn’t hurt you to show them once in a while.”

“TMI,” I muttered under my breath.  A passing woman gave me a strange glance but looked away when she saw I had caught her.  I didn’t need to know what God thought of my legs or any other part of my anatomy, thank you very much.  I flipped through my mail, saw it was mostly junk, then went up to my apartment.  God was silent, so I assumed He had gone.  I couldn’t feel Him all the time these days which really put me on edge.  He was easier to take when I knew for sure He was around.

“I’m still here,” God said, materializing as soon as I entered my apartment.  In copper this time, which made Him look like a giant penny.  “Now, remember, you have a tendency to get overly talkative when you meet someone you really like.  Give Ted a chance to talk about himself before filling him in on your life story.  Guys like a bit of mystery in their women, so don’t give everything away at once.”

“What, You’re my relationship coach now?”  I asked sharply, tossing my purse on the living room couch.  “Do You mind?  I want to take a shower before I go out tonight.”

“Good idea,” God said, disappearing in an instance.  “You go, girl,” I heard from above.  The distinct strains of Eminem filled my living room for an instant before falling silent.  “Sorry about that.”

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