applying makeup and older thin skin had naturally caused her folds to appear. Helen didn’t have to worry about getting a fold like Joyce. Her eyes were so large, even without the creases, that people sometimes thought that she was Hapa or half Asian and half Caucasian, just like John Ford Kang. Joyce turned and found a mirror. Her eyes had never seemed narrow before, but as she stared at herself surrounded by the faces of countless models, the hurtful term
slant-eyes
popped into her head. Her gaze shifted back and forth from the shape of the models’ eyes to her eyes. Joyce raised her fingertips to the outer edges of her eyelids. Why hadn’t she noticed how thin and small they were? No wonder John mistook me for Lynn, Joyce thought.
Joyce widened her eyes, raising her eyebrows as far as they would go, and turned to Gina.
“How do I look?”
Gina glanced up from studying some facial cleansers.
“Like a scared dweeb. And your eyes aren’t going to look like that after the surgery.”
Joyce frowned and relaxed her eyebrows.
Gina moved on to some blushes arranged like a palette of watercolor paints. Joyce followed behind.
“You know, it’s major surgery,” Joyce said. “Remember last month when that woman collapsed after she got lipo? I mean, I could die.”
Gina gave her a sideways glare.
“I don’t know if I can go through with it, but Uhmma will kill me if I offend Gomo. And if a lot of Asian girls get this surgery, then how come we don’t know anyone who did it? Maybe they had it done but didn’t tell anyone. I don’t want people always staring at my face and wondering what’s real and what’s not. What if they point and whisper behind my back? And it’s gotta hurt afterwards. You know how much I hate pain. I even have to put Band-Aids on paper cuts. What if I can’t see for a while? How am I going to get around? What if—”
Gina suddenly reached out and grabbed Joyce by the shoulders, giving her a good shake. “Joyce. Stopit. What are you complaining about? Damn. So many girls would be dying to be in your shoes. Your Gomo is going to PAY for you to get the fold. Come on!”
Joyce stepped back. “Would you do it?”
Gina threw up her hands. “Of course. In a heartbeat. It’s free!”
Joyce pushed her hair behind her ears and turned to face her image in the mirror. “Do you think it’ll make me look okay? I won’t look weird and fake?”
Gina came up behind her. “You’ll look like yourself only better. More alert,” Gina said and widened her eyes slightly.
“I still don’t know,” Joyce said.
“What is so different about getting your eyes done compared to the time your Gomo paid to get your teeth fixed? I would kill to have a rich aunt fix my flaws.”
Joyce ran her tongue over her perfectly aligned teeth. “I guess, but the eye-fold thing seems more extreme.”
Gina made a choking noise and went back to studying the blushes. She lifted up the display box and pulled out a cotton ball.
“How did you know that was there?” Joyce wondered.
Gina blotted the cotton ball to the shell pink blush and gingerly swept it across her cheekbone. “I work here, Joyce.”
Gina finally picked out two tubes of gloss and a small container of loose powder. After buying them for her, Joyce called it even.
“You owe me, now,” Joyce said.
Gina smiled. “That’s the way it should be. Feels good to have the natural order of our friendship restored. I was starting to get that high and mighty feeling.”
Gina took Joyce’s hand and pulled her forward. “Come on.”
“Where are we going now?” Joyce asked.
“To get your eyes done!”
The two girls hid behind a particularly large display of potpourri, candles and paisley makeup bags. Gina picked up a bottle of perfume from the counter and sprayed some on her wrist before slowly turning around.
“There she is,” Gina said, bringing her wrist up to her nose and quickly pointing in the direction of a pretty Asian woman arranging
slant-eyes
popped into her head. Her gaze shifted back and forth from the shape of the models’ eyes to her eyes. Joyce raised her fingertips to the outer edges of her eyelids. Why hadn’t she noticed how thin and small they were? No wonder John mistook me for Lynn, Joyce thought.
Joyce widened her eyes, raising her eyebrows as far as they would go, and turned to Gina.
“How do I look?”
Gina glanced up from studying some facial cleansers.
“Like a scared dweeb. And your eyes aren’t going to look like that after the surgery.”
Joyce frowned and relaxed her eyebrows.
Gina moved on to some blushes arranged like a palette of watercolor paints. Joyce followed behind.
“You know, it’s major surgery,” Joyce said. “Remember last month when that woman collapsed after she got lipo? I mean, I could die.”
Gina gave her a sideways glare.
“I don’t know if I can go through with it, but Uhmma will kill me if I offend Gomo. And if a lot of Asian girls get this surgery, then how come we don’t know anyone who did it? Maybe they had it done but didn’t tell anyone. I don’t want people always staring at my face and wondering what’s real and what’s not. What if they point and whisper behind my back? And it’s gotta hurt afterwards. You know how much I hate pain. I even have to put Band-Aids on paper cuts. What if I can’t see for a while? How am I going to get around? What if—”
Gina suddenly reached out and grabbed Joyce by the shoulders, giving her a good shake. “Joyce. Stopit. What are you complaining about? Damn. So many girls would be dying to be in your shoes. Your Gomo is going to PAY for you to get the fold. Come on!”
Joyce stepped back. “Would you do it?”
Gina threw up her hands. “Of course. In a heartbeat. It’s free!”
Joyce pushed her hair behind her ears and turned to face her image in the mirror. “Do you think it’ll make me look okay? I won’t look weird and fake?”
Gina came up behind her. “You’ll look like yourself only better. More alert,” Gina said and widened her eyes slightly.
“I still don’t know,” Joyce said.
“What is so different about getting your eyes done compared to the time your Gomo paid to get your teeth fixed? I would kill to have a rich aunt fix my flaws.”
Joyce ran her tongue over her perfectly aligned teeth. “I guess, but the eye-fold thing seems more extreme.”
Gina made a choking noise and went back to studying the blushes. She lifted up the display box and pulled out a cotton ball.
“How did you know that was there?” Joyce wondered.
Gina blotted the cotton ball to the shell pink blush and gingerly swept it across her cheekbone. “I work here, Joyce.”
Gina finally picked out two tubes of gloss and a small container of loose powder. After buying them for her, Joyce called it even.
“You owe me, now,” Joyce said.
Gina smiled. “That’s the way it should be. Feels good to have the natural order of our friendship restored. I was starting to get that high and mighty feeling.”
Gina took Joyce’s hand and pulled her forward. “Come on.”
“Where are we going now?” Joyce asked.
“To get your eyes done!”
The two girls hid behind a particularly large display of potpourri, candles and paisley makeup bags. Gina picked up a bottle of perfume from the counter and sprayed some on her wrist before slowly turning around.
“There she is,” Gina said, bringing her wrist up to her nose and quickly pointing in the direction of a pretty Asian woman arranging
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