Evie Nadia

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Evie Nadia stood in front of her mirror, clad in a loosely wrapped towel, fresh from her hot shower. The perfume of shampoo and conditioner, along with a seemingly endless array of skincare and beauty products clung to her body. In any other circumstances, it might have been choking. But if there were anybody else in the room with her, they would probably say she smelled lovely.

She put her hands on her hips, and lifted one shoulder in a provocative, catwalk model pose. She pouted her lips, and then simply broke out into a small laugh, which inadvertently caused the towel to drop; even though she was alone, she instantly grabbed it, and a faint blush tinged her cheeks. She shook her head at her own blonde moment, feeling silly and childish.

Looking into the mirror was, she supposed, one of her vices. She was the kind of person who would check if she looked okay every time she passed by a window and a large sheet of glass; in fact, any reflective surface would do.

She took a deep breath; and this time, she let the towel drop. For a moment she just stared at the body God had given her. It was in these private moments she asserted her gratitude for the gift of beauty that had been bestowed upon her. Of course she still had her insecurities: for instance, she thinks her ears are too big and stick out too much, and that her collarbones are too prominent which makes her upper chest and neck look bony, and that her eyebrows have too much of 'kink' in them. But she knew enough to take care of what she has, and to an outside observer, what she has is beautiful.

Her face was almost arrow shaped; severe to some, delicate to others. The browns of her eyes were a rich caramel, and contrasted greatly with her naturally pink lips. The bridge of her nose was straight, but the tip was slight upturned. Jodie Foster's nose, Juliza, her best friend, had said once. She even had that 'v' on the tip of the nose.

She had always been slim, almost waif-like; but recently she had put on some weight and her figure looked fuller than before, healthier. Her small round breasts perched nicely on her chest, firm and taut, and her hips were broad but not prominently so, the buttocks in almost perfect proportion to her chest. Her belly (not as flat as before, but still flat enough) was a smooth surface, the skin pale yet flawless. She had a birthmark on her right hip, just above the bone. Her limbs were long and tapered, coltish and athletic.

Evie glanced at herself; she was thankful. A few years back she was skinnier, and looked somewhat undernourished. Ironic then, how life changes you physically, she thought. After a few minutes she felt satisfied with her own image and self-confidence. She picked up the towel, wrapped it around herself and sat down in front of her dressing table. Her make up set was arranged neatly; lipstick, foundation, eyeliner, mascara and the lot. Evie looked at her bedside clock: 1705. She had plenty of time.

For tonight she had a date. It has been 5 weeks since she met Rafar again; that had ended well, she thought as she began applying her make up. She had left that day feeling angry with herself for agreeing to go for a drink. She had been angry with herself for even talking to Rafar. What was she expecting anyway? She did not know, and at this point, no longer cared.

Tonight however, was different. Tonight was a night she had been looking forward to. She wanted to see the guy again, which, for her, was unusual. She rarely went on second dates with the people she meets, because usually they turn out to be jerks, but mostly because she would find herself losing interest halfway through a date. But tonight... and for that matter the past few weeks or so, she felt different. For the first time since Ezra The TUDM pilot, probably, she was excited at the prospect of a date.

After her divorce with Rafar and the subsequent rebuilding of her life, her mother had encouraged her to go on dates, mostly because she (her mother) wanted her to be happy and socialize, and, who knew, maybe even find a replacement for Rafar. So yes, Evie had gone on dates, but never seriously. Sometimes she wondered if it was herself, in fact, that was apprehensive to the idea of dating after her relationship with Rafar ended so bitterly. Maybe she did not want anyone else to taint the good memories. But within time that feeling had slowly faded, and she realized she needed to move on.

Dating again was a logical step forward.

Tonight's date felt different, somehow. She thought it was because of the incident with Rafar the other day. Thinking positively, she felt that the afternoon spent with Rafar having coffee was somewhat a catalyst for her; a sign that yes, she was ready to move on completely. If all goes well, she thought as she applied a subtle shade of mascara to her long eyelashes, I might even learn to love this guy. She knew for sure she liked him. She liked him a lot. They met at a nice restaurant a few weeks back when she had lunch with a client. But that was a story she would tell another day.

Evie finished applying make up and walked gingerly to her wardrobe. She put on her bra and panties whilst making a decision on what to wear. She had laid out some clothes on the bed. Should she go casual and pick the soft pink cardigan she could wear over a white tube and combine it with her favorite faded Levi's? Or maybe the baby blue button-down shirt to go with a long, flowing white skirt? Perhaps the lavender dress would do, though admittedly that would show too much leg. Evie loved soft colors. It belied her cheerful and sometimes electric personality, though even that had softened over the years. She remembered her college days, and the early times during her marriage. Was that not what Rafar liked about her? That outwardly she looked carefree and ditzy but she was - no, still is, - smart, intelligent and witty?

Eventually she settled for a compromise; she chose to wear the pink cardigan and tube, but with the long flowing skirt. She put that on, and went back to her dressing table to do her hair. She thought of letting it hang free, but then decided against it as her hair might get in her face; so she tied her hair into a ponytail using a ribbon. She had not put on too much make-up; she always liked to look natural rather than tart-ed up. Evie stood up again, adjusting her clothes and her hair. She smiled. She thought she looked a bit younger than her thirty years, but that was all right. As a final touch, she dabbed some perfume on herself.

Her bedside clock showed 1740. Another twenty minutes before he calls, she thought. I could have a drink. So she made herself a mug of tea with honey, and sat in the living room of her apartment. She sipped her drink, but her eyes wandered all over her home. She was proud. Since Rafar's departure, she had slowly turned the apartment into her own image. It was a three bedroom suite, just off Jalan Ampang. She had decorated it herself, to her exact tastes. It wasn't a big house, but she lived alone after all. She chose to live alone.

The apartment was clean, cozy and welcoming. On the walls were pictures of flowers she had drawn herself, and of her family and closest friends. She had a nice widescreen television, with ASTRO connected to it and even a Playstation Two as she loved playing games (Harvest Moon and The Sims!) in her free time. Beside the TV was a stereo system, and more pictures, even of her with her car,which was easily one of her biggest pride and joys: a white Volkswagen Golf she bought brand new last year when she realized she could afford it. She was making good money. A BMW was not out of the question but she just felt it was too excessive. Evie Nadia Hakimi, Advertising Exec; young, beautiful, successful. She was comfortable, and content. Maybe she could go on like this forever... but where's the fun in that, right?

At almost precisely 1800, her cell phone rang. The ringing tone was the intro riff from Switchfoot's 'We Are One Tonight', her favorite song. She looked at the Called ID and could not help but feel happy; she even blushed. Yay, she thought, and felt even more embarrassed. In truth it has been a long time since she felt this excited about something. So maybe she could allow herself this teenaged moment. She pressed the green button.

"Hi you", she said.

"Hi you", the voice at the other end said. "I've just arrived, waiting downstairs. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'll see you in three minutes"

"Can't wait", the voice said.

Evie put her drink on the coffee table and went to her mirror for a last minute check; she looked fine. She grabbed her handbag, keys and phone and went out. Just before she locked her door, she took one glance at her apartment. It's my home, she thought. She smiled, again. The coffee 'date' with Rafar five weeks ago was now a faded memory, like an old stain the bleach couldn't quite get out. It just did not matter anymore. Today, she felt happy. She felt happier today than she's ever been for four years.

Evie locked her door and took the elevator down. She walked the 60 meters or so towards a sleek black Honda, where a gentleman in a button down white shirt and faded blue jeans was waiting by the passenger-side door. He held a bouquet of roses and carnations in one hand, and he smiled when he saw Evie coming towards him. Evie could have sworn her face had gone red when she saw the flowers.

I wonder what those are for? she asked herself. Never mind, they look lovely. Tonight, all she wanted to do was have a nice time, and to come back home happy.

Life, indeed, is full of surprises.

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