Glutter’s Hong Kong
Bumped into Laurent on Sat, outside insomnia of all places. It was actually outside the Apartment, but as it was closed and it’s in the basement, the nearest thing on ground level was that sleazy hole so people assumed somehow that we were part of the general vibe over there. We’d already been hassled by this French guy, who wouldn’t leave us alone. Tally and I told him to go away and he wouldn’t. Insisted on sitting on the curb with us, and when she asked him to leave again he said, “I make a lot of money.”
Tally was furious, “Look we’re professionals, we make our money, we have jobs, we don’t care how much you make.”
I was just huffing, as we were just talking about all these scary expat guys who come to Hong Kong, and next thing you know they are whoring, or thinking they are shit hot because all these women just throw themselves at them -far better looking girls with far lower IQs, or at least pretend to have, than they would ever get back home. Then slowly they forget they are supposed to have a bit of respect, and start believing their mere existence is going to make every woman fall to their knees and when they come across chicks like Tally and me, they just don’t understand we’re not interested and they get all confused and stupid. Like Laurent. Like now it’s over, I can admit that I suspected he was far deeper in the whole Wan Chai thing than he ever admitted because sometimes he didn’t treat me like a real girl.
And I looked at that idiotic French guy sitting there, wouldn’t leave us alone and thought about the last gross as hell man who came onto me, who said, “Do you like European Skin? Because Iove Asian skin.. it’s so soft” as he tried to run his slimey hands down my face.
“Dude, go away. We’re not like that, if we were, we would be sitting in that bar not outside that bar, Understand?”
He turned away and then looked back at us and said, “Everyone has their price.”
“Not everyone has their price, we do not.” Tally said, “You can’t buy everyone. We probably make more money than you.”
“Fuck you.” He said back to us, “Who do you two think you are?”
“Who do you think you are? Tell us.” Tally replied,
“You’re nothing!” He yelled back at us,
I am like, “Look, why don’t you just go home, I am so sick of people like you bothering normal people like us.”
“No, why don’t you go home? I am staying here. You go.”
“We were here first.” Tally said, “You came over here.”
“Get out. Go.. get out of here!” He said again,
“I don’t have to. I do not expect you to come here and be rude to me, and insinuate my friend and I are prostitutes, or could be bought. Get it? I don’t want you here and at the end of the day, this is MY home, my city. Thank you, bye!”
But he stayed. He remained sitting right next to us, but we decided not to budge because if we did, it is just losing even more ground to these people that have taken over my neighborhood, that have created a ever increasing sleazier scene in Lanks, and hence central, and bringing their filthy habits into what is a really nice part of town.
Tally continued, “What were just talking about? These men, we’ve got a real live specimen, right here, right in front of us.”
“I know, I can’t believe he said, “I make a lot of money.” I bet you make more money than him, I am pretty sure of it, you’re a banker for god’s sake. What is he?”
“They just think that we want their money and their passports, and like, we have our own thank you. We don’t need theirs.”
“And if it’s so damn good over there, why are they here? Why don’t they just go back home? Obviously something keeps them here. “The West” ain’t that hot shit, you know. Been there…. It’s not some fairy tale land in my mind.”
“Everywhere has its problems.”
“No shit. Him being the one we have right now. You know why he can’t leave. He can’t deal with the fact two Chinese girls turned him down, and refused to talk to him. His ego can’t cope.”
“Because in his mind, we’re all subservient. We have to like him because he is a white guy. Because he makes a lot money.”
“I don’t want to be rude, but you know the truth is, this life is all I know really. I grew up with the the mid-levels Hong Kong life, and you know I know the truth is most of them did not, and they come here and they shove it in my face, like, “Hey, girl, let me show you something…” and its like. “Errr. No. This is normal for me, and you’re really looking kinda stupid bragging at this moment.”
The man suddenly stands up. He goes, “I am sorry.” to Tally and then turns to me, “I am really sorry.” Then continues to mumble, “Sorry Sorry Sorry.” and leaves. We watch him walk down the slope into a cab.
“What was that all about?” Tally asks.
“I don’t know, but at least he apologized.” I said,
“I still think he is weird. What a horrible man. Just by being here, they don’t have to put in the effort anymore, to care, be responsible, to like really love someone, because that’s not what the girls they choose are looking for. And it’s like a relationship based on something else, we don’t understand. Some sort of exchange. It makes me want to go back home, back to California, where things are simpler, where men are supposed to look after you. Not just give you a credit card.”
“I know. That’s why I don’t know any expats men really, I just stay with all the kids who grew up here. Mostly kids from the international schools, even if I didn’t know them, we were here at the same time. We lived through everything you know? We didn’t just get fresh of the boat and think we’re all superior to 99% of the population because they’re not Chinese or whatever it is in their minds, and we’ve been a colony so long, so many people here don’t even bother to put them in their place…”
“Yeah.. Look here comes Laurent.”
“It’s so sad, he’s so well on his way.”
“He didn’t seem like one of them.”
“Yeah, I thought so too. He tries, though. I have to give that to him. He really tries. With him it’s just the women thing. They come on to him all night, they make him real drunk, and he really wants to go home with them, and he knows better, but he lie to himself that they like him, that it’s different, and they are really sexy, and it just goes from there. I feel sorry. I didn’t really want to admit it, but you hang out with someone, things slip and you piece things together.”
“Well his friends are all like that. You saw how they were.”
“I know… Better stop, he’s coming towards.”
“Yeah. Hey how are you??”
“Great? You?”
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 