seemed to radiate from every corner and counter. A floral bouquet from the perfume aisles mingled with the smell of new leather from the shoe and purse department. Joyce inhaled deeply and then sneezed three times in a row. Gina grabbed Joyce by the hand and pulled her forward into the maze of cosmetics counters.
“Try this one,” Gina suggested and held up the tester tube of bright red lip gloss.
“That’s too bold,” Joyce protested.
“It’s gloss, Joyce,” Gina said with a slightly exasperated tone in her voice. “Gloss is sheer when you put it on.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do I not work here part-time?”
Joyce took the tester tube and examined it closely. “You work in the stockroom.”
“But I come out at every break.” Gina handed Joyce a Q-tip that she magically produced from behind a mirror.
“So?” Joyce dipped the Q-tip into the tube, and applied the gloss to her lips.
Gina squinted at Joyce’s lips. “So I’ve tried everything.”
Joyce examined herself in the round mirror. “Don’t you think it looks too goopy?”
Gina reached behind a makeup tray and pulled out a tissue. Joyce took it gratefully and wiped the gloss off her lips. Gina grabbed another tube of gloss and Q-tip, and stared intently at herself in the mirror as she dabbed some on.
“Why are we here, anyway?” Joyce asked.
“So you can buy me some makeup.”
“What?”
Gina stood back from the mirror to check the effect of the gloss on her full lips. “You owe me for the yearbook, remember?”
Joyce slouched against the glass front of the display counter. “Oh, yeah.”
“And,” Gina said, studying another tube of gloss, “we can try some stuff on your eyes.”
Joyce could feel her posture slipping even further. “I can’t believe crazy Michael.”
Gina layered another color of gloss on top of the one she was already wearing.
“What do you think?” Gina asked.
Joyce stared at her purple-lipped friend. “Too Barney.”
Gina checked her reflection. “Like the dinosaur or the department store?”
Joyce chuckled. “God, only you would ask that. Dinosaur. Can we just focus on me for a second.”
Gina grabbed another tissue and wiped her lips. “What are you so upset about? It’s not like Michael wants to stick some double Ds in there. Although if Michael did spring for that, you know John would be looking at you differently.” Gina poked Joyce in the sternum.
“Oww!” Joyce yelled. “That hurt, Gina!”
A saleswoman in her fake lab coat came over. “May I help you ladies?”
“We’re just looking,” Gina said and grabbed Joyce’s hand again, pulling her down the aisle. The photographs of flawless models’ faces peered down at them as they walked from counter to counter. Their brightly colored eyelids beckoned to Joyce. She stood before them mesmerized.
Like most Asian girls, Joyce knew about the san-gah-pu-rhee or double eyelid fold surgery, but Joyce didn’t actually know anyone who had gone through with it except for Gomo, and that didn’t really count. Once a few years back, when Joyce and her family had visited Korea, her cousin had showed her some magazines and said she dreamed about getting the surgery that many girls in Korea got as birthday or graduation presents. Joyce recalled being slightly curious, but waved it off as just another crazy Korean fad.
Joyce studied the poster-sized close-up of the model’s face. The layers of color on her eyelids fanned out like the feathers of a peacock. Now that Joyce’s attention had been drawn to this detail, she couldn’t stop staring at the fold or lack of a fold in all the women she knew and met.
Gina had nice almond-shaped eyes, normal byKorean standards, but she did not have the double eyelids that Western women took for granted. Joyce’s mother had narrow creases above her eyes, and when Joyce asked about them, wondering if she had already gone through with the surgery before leaving Korea, Uhmma explained that years of
“Try this one,” Gina suggested and held up the tester tube of bright red lip gloss.
“That’s too bold,” Joyce protested.
“It’s gloss, Joyce,” Gina said with a slightly exasperated tone in her voice. “Gloss is sheer when you put it on.”
“Are you sure?”
“Do I not work here part-time?”
Joyce took the tester tube and examined it closely. “You work in the stockroom.”
“But I come out at every break.” Gina handed Joyce a Q-tip that she magically produced from behind a mirror.
“So?” Joyce dipped the Q-tip into the tube, and applied the gloss to her lips.
Gina squinted at Joyce’s lips. “So I’ve tried everything.”
Joyce examined herself in the round mirror. “Don’t you think it looks too goopy?”
Gina reached behind a makeup tray and pulled out a tissue. Joyce took it gratefully and wiped the gloss off her lips. Gina grabbed another tube of gloss and Q-tip, and stared intently at herself in the mirror as she dabbed some on.
“Why are we here, anyway?” Joyce asked.
“So you can buy me some makeup.”
“What?”
Gina stood back from the mirror to check the effect of the gloss on her full lips. “You owe me for the yearbook, remember?”
Joyce slouched against the glass front of the display counter. “Oh, yeah.”
“And,” Gina said, studying another tube of gloss, “we can try some stuff on your eyes.”
Joyce could feel her posture slipping even further. “I can’t believe crazy Michael.”
Gina layered another color of gloss on top of the one she was already wearing.
“What do you think?” Gina asked.
Joyce stared at her purple-lipped friend. “Too Barney.”
Gina checked her reflection. “Like the dinosaur or the department store?”
Joyce chuckled. “God, only you would ask that. Dinosaur. Can we just focus on me for a second.”
Gina grabbed another tissue and wiped her lips. “What are you so upset about? It’s not like Michael wants to stick some double Ds in there. Although if Michael did spring for that, you know John would be looking at you differently.” Gina poked Joyce in the sternum.
“Oww!” Joyce yelled. “That hurt, Gina!”
A saleswoman in her fake lab coat came over. “May I help you ladies?”
“We’re just looking,” Gina said and grabbed Joyce’s hand again, pulling her down the aisle. The photographs of flawless models’ faces peered down at them as they walked from counter to counter. Their brightly colored eyelids beckoned to Joyce. She stood before them mesmerized.
Like most Asian girls, Joyce knew about the san-gah-pu-rhee or double eyelid fold surgery, but Joyce didn’t actually know anyone who had gone through with it except for Gomo, and that didn’t really count. Once a few years back, when Joyce and her family had visited Korea, her cousin had showed her some magazines and said she dreamed about getting the surgery that many girls in Korea got as birthday or graduation presents. Joyce recalled being slightly curious, but waved it off as just another crazy Korean fad.
Joyce studied the poster-sized close-up of the model’s face. The layers of color on her eyelids fanned out like the feathers of a peacock. Now that Joyce’s attention had been drawn to this detail, she couldn’t stop staring at the fold or lack of a fold in all the women she knew and met.
Gina had nice almond-shaped eyes, normal byKorean standards, but she did not have the double eyelids that Western women took for granted. Joyce’s mother had narrow creases above her eyes, and when Joyce asked about them, wondering if she had already gone through with the surgery before leaving Korea, Uhmma explained that years of
Similar Books
