Eye b(r)ow to thee

"Hi, is Meiling in today?" I asked.

"Meiling, ah?" The person at the other end asked.

"Yeah..."

"Actually... Meiling doesn't work here anymore... she's left..."

WHAT??!! :O :O :O

I think I was as shocked as I would be if a close colleague had resigned.

Meiling was no ordinary girl, you see. I believe she was the only Chinese girl in Singapore who could thread Indian eyebrows. What's so special about Indian eyebrows you ask. Well, after seeing many many local chicks here sporting the single-line-high-arched eyebrows that make them look like they're part of a Chinese opera playing the part of a perpetually surprised character, and hearing horror stories from my friends about how they had unwillingly been converted to that eyebrow character in the Chinese opera, I had resolved that I would only get my eyebrows done during my annual visits to India, at a beauty parlour recommended by Mom. But getting it done only once a year would mean bearing a deep resemblance to Karishma Kapoor during her 'Prem Qaidi' days. So I was more than thankful when a friend recommended this salon, where an Indian lady R did the threading.

So I went to her, and she did a pretty decent job. I became a regular at R's. During one of my visits, an apprentice of hers - a very young Chinese girl - attended to me. I was really sceptical so I told her I'd like to wait for R. She said she'd only do the basic threading and that R would take over for the final touch up. I was getting late for a movie, and I hate missing trailers so much that I decided to give in.

I tried to give her specific instructions to reduce the risk of me ending up looking like Mona Lisa so I told her that I did not want my eyebrows too thin, or too high, and that she had to be careful because I had been scarred for life in my childhood, etc. etc. She kept nodding, and I was afraid she did not even understand what I was saying.

After she was done, she handed me a mirror. With trembling fingers, I held it close to my face.

I was shocked. Shocked. I think I was sporting the 'perpetually surprised' look on my face!

Of course, that was only because I was, indeed, surprised.

The girl had done a fantastic job. Much better than R could ever have done. Even the scar on my eyebrow was not a problem anymore. In fact, you could not even see the scar. It's amazing how someone can just come along with a roll of thread, a pair of scissors and a pair of tweezers and take all your problems away.

"This is fantastic!" I told her.

"Do you want me to finish up?" She asked shyly.

"Of course!"

The 'finishing' comprised pulling away extra hairs with a tweezer (do I see the guys wince?) and using a pair of scissors to level the hair. I felt safe in her deft hands.

After that day, I would only ask for Meiling. R was really surprised because once I insisted on waiting for Meiling to finish attending to the others, even though R was available.

And every time I went to Meiling, I'd be surprised to see how good she was. I just couldn't get over it. Guess it takes a while to get over stereotypes.

So when I found out that Meiling had resigned, I was really shocked. I asked R what happened.

"She's gone to Malaysia to do a beauty course..."

"She was brilliant... The only Chinese girl I know who could handle Indian eyebrows... " I said.

"Yeah, I know... she was very good... my place is always open for her if she ever comes back to Singapore..." R said.

Argh. Lucky Indian chicks in Malaysia, my bad luck has become your good luck! :/

Isn't it amazing, how some people can surprise you simply by being who they are, and doing what they do?