On New Year’s Eve, the HR manager announced early dismissal at noon.
“Hooray! I’m heading to the nail salon for manicure work; feel like getting some nude colour or maybe light brown colour on my nails.” Tina cheerfully said to her colleagues.
At the salon, a lady worker who’s around the age of 20s, carried a smile on her slightly chubby cheek, attended to Tina’s request. She did a great job there; Tina loves the results. Now, it is the nails drying time, the most challenging moment as Tina would have to put both her palms under that mini drying machine and let the blowing air dries the enamel; she can’t browse or work on her mobile phone. So, she could just look here and there, searching for new information or stuff that would trigger her interest, to kill the time and not feeling bored.
From the interior design of the shop to the way they arranged their stock, her ‘scanner’ observation eyes are busily on duty now. They have beautiful swan-designed crystal lights hanging on their ceiling, so special, not seen elsewhere. The furniture layout really occupies this tiny-spaced-shop to its maximum possibility. The colour-mix of the cushion seats where Tina is currently relaxing on, literally brighten up the atmosphere of the salon.
The products range they have for sales and the way they arranged those hundred over bottles of enamels; colourful range of enamel bottles were coded by colour shades, from light to dark shades. Interestingly, Tina is literally surrounded by rainbow!
Here comes another customer, an uncle at his ages of 60s. He has several shopping bags on both of his hands. The lady owner welcomes him and leads him to the seat. They chat and the owner asks if his family members are doing okay. He seems to be their regular customer for quite sometimes. At this moment, Tina took a good look at the lady owner’s poster on the wall, it seemed to have been taken many years back.
Tina is interested to know what kind of service this uncle is getting for himself here. The lady worker brought a pail of warm water for him to soak and relax his foot. They don’t have any other customers at this odd hour. So, both the owner and her worker are attending to him; one working on the foot and the other working on the fingers, while Tina doing nothing but sitting still waiting for her nails to dry.
“Oh… he is getting the basic nails maintenance.” She thinks to herself. It would be removing the dead skin, cutting the nails and a little massage with skin moisturizer. After some catch up chats with the owner, that uncle takes a little nap by closing his eyes while leaving his palms and foot to the experts.
Now, come to think of it, the manicure and pedicure services are also applicable for men; this service is not only meant for women. Especially, for some people that has problem to bend down and cut their own toenails. “Just like my mum who has backache; she would ask her kids for help.” Busy ‘brain-dialogue’ goes on in Tina’s monkey mind.
It’s basic hygiene for everyone to keep their body in good states; from head to toes. So, men also deserve to enjoy such service from nails salon. But most men, especially Asians, still holding onto the perception that such type of services is for feminine only. If men go to nails salon, onlookers might laugh at them.
“Well, some people are just narrow-minded; let’s ignore them.” She said to herself. Nothing much Tina could do about other’s thought. There would only be a small percentage of men goes to beauty salons for services such as facial cleanse, body massage and hair scalp treatment, even in 21st century.
“Each of us deserves the rights to feel good especially when it comes to body health. Just like getting a haircut every other month. Don’t you think so?” Tina imagines herself holding onto a microphone and saying out loud to all the audiences (men or women, young or old) in front of the a stage.
“Go and have a try. I don’t know about others but I do feel happy seeing my nails nicely cut and neat though.” Tina feels like sharing her joy from this simple task to everyone.
“Often times, the biggest enemy is our own self; we put a ‘blockage’ to our mind before we even try.”
Just when Tina finished with her grant speech in her thought, the lady worker turns her head and looks at Tina, as if she heard what Tina was saying.
“Let me have a look at your nails, should have dried by now.” She walks towards Tina and check on her nails. “Be careful afterwards, it is just the outer part has dried, the inside not fully dry yet.” She reminds Tina to pay attention to her fingers’ action afterwards. “Sure, thanks.” Tina paid for the service and left the shop.
Holding carefully her mobile phone with both her hands; browsing through the incoming messages and notification notes; marching along the shop lots’ walkway with her heads down. Not only that, this multi-tasking Tina still playing in her mind the conversation she had with her close friend, Ada, weeks ago…
“No harm trying; the outcome could be 50/50, but if you say no first then you are guaranteed to fail.” Tina replied to Ada whenever she heard Ada’s closed off comment.
“I can’t speak English well.”
“I can never do it.”
“I won’t get any job…”
Those, often came from Ada. Sigh… Quite annoying, sometimes.
Anyway, with her beautifully painted nails, Tina walks faster heading home, and want to get ready for the countdown party later tonight.
“Ouch!! Oh no, my nails!” She accidentally bumps into someone at the corner of the walkway. The enamel on a few of her fingers were smeared. Gone case… She didn’t watch where she marched.
“Sorry.” “I’m Sorry!” This ‘Sorry’ came concurrently from her and the person she bumped into.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to.” She looked up at that person when he continues to say this.
“Oh wow… what a cute guy we have here.” Yet to reply to that man’s question, Tina said this in her mind instead. A tall, muscular build, good-looking man, around his 30s, is standing one step away, in front of her.
“Hey? You okay? Is there anything I could do to… to compensate your nails’ work?” He was kind of panic when Tina remains silence; he tries to apologize.
“Huh? Oh, my nails? Emm… I just had it done though.” Tina replies to him with the fact, but not blaming him a single bit. She took a peek at his t-shirt around his chest area, just to make sure no nail enamel smudged onto it. Else, that would be disaster!
“Can I pay for it again?” He offers to pay if Tina would like to have the nails work redo.
“Nah… I’d do it another time then. Not feeling like going for 2nd round of manicure now. I was at wrong too, for having my eyes glued to my phone while I walked just now.” Tina politely refuses his offer.
“How about coffee?” This gentleman still would like to express his sorry.
“Hmm… sounds good.” Tina raises her left eyebrow considering his counteroffer and replies with a smile.
It might look a little drama, but the New Year countdown party seems to have started way earlier than planned, isn’t it. She looks forward to this surprise encounter with James – the man she just bumped into.
Let’s see where this story leads her to, next.