A Lilac Dress
By Thian Pik Hang
It was an idle Saturday afternoon. Chad and I were walking and looking around in Queensbay after having our lunch in a restaurant in the mall. We stopped – right in front of a boutique. I was stunned, standing in front of a huge glass wall — a lilac coloured dress, together with a white cardigan, was put on a modal standing behind the glass wall, “New Arrival” it says.
He quickly dragged me into the boutique, before I turned to him, saying how beautiful that dress was and I was really, really want it. Still holding my hand, we walked around the boutique, not knowing what he was doing. Finally, we stopped. He let my hand off and went to a worker. I looked at him, guessing what he was doing. After seconds, he came towards me, holding that lilac dress, the one I saw at the glass wall. He tucked it to both my arms and pushed me into a fitting room, asking me to try it on.
Chad was looking at me with a broad smile when I came towards him from the fitting room, wearing the dress that he asked me to put on. He gently put his hands on my shoulders and said, “Beautiful… You’re the most beautiful girl in the whole world…” My eyes were blinking. “No one else can wear such a beautiful dress,” he continued, drawing me nearer towards him. “I love you, dear,” he whispered. “Be mine.”
I smiled. He really loves me, I thought. At the moment he drew me to his chest and hugged me, my mind was recalling how he loved me and how he cared of me. Throughout the five years he always gave me surprises during my birthday and Valentine’s Day every year; he visited me, helped me to do house works and cooked porridge for me whenever I was ill… He loved me, and I loved him, too. I thought our love would not be expired and we would live happily ever after.
Until one day, during lunch time, when me and a few of my colleagues were having our lunch in a cafeteria in my working place, one of my best friends, Chloe, appears. She walked towards us, showing us her broad, charming smile. To my astonishment, she was wearing a lilac coloured dress, together with a white cardigan, exactly the same as the one that Chad had bought for me.
“My God, isn’t she’s Chloe? Hi Chloe!” One of my colleagues exclaimed.
“Hi Chloe! We didn’t see you for months!” Greeted another one.
“How was your holiday? You looked so pretty today!” asked a skinny lady, she was my colleague as well.
“How was your holiday in Europe?” finally I asked.
“It was great! We’d done a lot of sight seeing, and I love Paris very much! I wish I could live there,” said Chloe excitedly. “And look at this dress, Phoeb, isn’t it beautiful? My boyfriend bought this for me in a boutique when we’re in Paris, he said I looked beautiful when I wear this, he said I’m the most beautiful girl in the whole world and no one else can wear such a beautiful dress like this. He’s really lovely!”
“It really suits you well, Chlo,” I said in a hypocritical smile.
Everything on my plate was tasted sour. Everything was tasteless for me. I was not happy that she had the same dress as mine, and I was not happy too for the way she got that dress was also same as mine, though I didn’t voiced out, both in verbal and non-verbal. I know she was my very close friend and shouldn’t feel unhappy of her in such an irrelevant way; I don’t want that feeling, either. But I didn’t know why I had such a feeling, it was uncontrollable, it just came out like that.
“Well it’s normal,” the inner ‘me’ whispered to me. “You still own a man who really loves you.”
About two weeks later, I received a call from Chad. He was just back for outstation from Europe.
“Are you free this evening?” he asked, he tone was unusual compared to the last days.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Then we meet in Starbucks. 6pm.”
“Alright, see you there!”
I arrived at Starbucks at 5:45pm, with my favourite dress — a lilac coloured dress, together with a white cardigan. I chose a seat that was near to the glass window and ordered a glass of latte and a piece of Tiramisu — our favourite order whenever we were in Starbucks. While nibbling the cake, I was recalling the happy days with him — in the cinema, at the beach, in my house, and many places.
I was there alone for one hour, waiting him, and he didn’t appear, yet. I started giving myself reasons, avoiding myself complaining. “Maybe he’s stuck in a traffic jam.”
Suddenly I saw a couple were holding their arms together, walking towards me, I knew them very well. One is Chloe; she was wearing a lilac coloured dress, together with a white cardigan, exactly the same as mine — the one I was wearing and the one that Chad had bought for me. The guy next to her is ——— Chad.
Still smiling, they took a seat, facing towards me. I could both of them wearing rings, their sparkling rings hurts my eyes. Chloe opened her latest Gucci handbag, took an envelope out and gave it to me. I opened it, it was an invitation card.
“Give you a good news. We’re going to be married next month.” She announced happily, and then smiled at Chad. He smiled at her too, then he turned to me, giving a disgusting, evil smile.
I really wanted to pour my latte to his face and shouted at him, “You liar! We’re over!” but I didn’t. I was just giving a cold, hypocritical smile. “Oh really? Seriously? Congratulations.”
Silence filled around us for seconds.
“Em... Sorry... I’ve something to do. Goodbye.” My voice was trembling. I left the cafe steadily and began to run. Tears were with me at that moment.
I resigned by using “continuing my studies” as my relevant reason. Of course I didn’t attend o their wedding. Indeed, I went to London on the day they married, bringing my lilac dress along. One day, after six months. Another one of my closest friend, Karen, unexpectedly saw me at a park in London. We warmly hugged and greet each other.
“How’s Chloe?” I asked.
Karen shook her head, sighing.
“She’s dead.”
I was speechless.
“That Chad is really a playboy. He was with a young lady two months after their marriage, and poor Chloe saw them dating at a cafe. She saw that lady was wearing the same lilac coloured dress as hers. That night, when she was back from work, she saw them lying on their bed, naked. It really drove her crazy. She cut her own lilac dress madly, and Chad tried to stop her when he was awake. But it was too late; the dress was already in pieces. She screamed ‘You liar, we’re over!’ and dived to the ground from their apartment.”
Luckily I did bring my lilac dress along, I thought.
