Claque

claque \KLACK\, noun:
1. A group hired to applaud at a performance.
2. A group of fawning admirers.

She gracefully sat beside me on the love seat, twirling her hair between her tiny fingers. She observed me with a minute eye. I felt as if I'm being given a once over, by a child at that. Suddenly her eyes focused on my hands.

'Aunty, are you a Goth?', she asked with a soft gasped. I'm surprised she even know what that meant. "Why do say that?', I asked. 'Your nails are black'. I followed her gaze. She appeared to be admiring my black nail polish. 'Oh. That. I did this for your Aunt's birthday', I said. 'My cousin is Goth,' she explained without prompting. 'But she didn't pull it off quite well, I think', she said, still admiring my nails.

And so we talked about my black nail polish and how much work I had to put in as I'm never good at painting my own nails. She told me I did a great job because they looked really professional. She then spoke to me about her earring collections (Good, I now know what to get for her birthday!) and I, of my fascination with rings.

Mira came along to sit next to me and the little lady gushes at how beautiful Mira's long fingers are.

Later, when I managed to pulled Su aside, I asked how old was her niece. 'She's eight', was Su's quick reply. 'She really is a mak datin. It'll take forever for her to get ready and she wears different outfit for different time of the day'.

Phew! I don't think fashion was in my mind when I was eight years old. I don't think I'm that advance at that age. I don't even know anything about subcultures until I was in my teens. Goth? I only knew about that after I saw Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family!

Kids grew up fast nowadays, don't they? I wonder if Mira would become a Ms Goody-Two-Shoes, or Ms Nerdy or would she be interested in becoming a Goth too? Ugh, all the angst that comes with it!

Only time will tell. You may think it's too soon to muse about this, but be reminded that Su's niece is only eight years old in our conversation above. Lol. And Mira is now four. That gives me three more years to mould her.

Yikes!

xoxo