Just Friends

2

"Jessica!" I squealed when my best friend swung the door open half asleep. It was one in the afternoon must I add.

"Shut up." She mumbled, "I have a hangover."

"I know," I said holding up the traditional Chinese ginger tea I had picked up at the airport. "When you didn't answer your phone, I assumed."

She shot me a tired grin before reaching to hug me. We had been best friends since we were in kindergarten at the International school we both attended. Her parents and my parents were friends and ran in the same circles. Her family was new money but had been one of the few like my parents to be accepted into the elite crowd of Hong Kong Tai Tai's. 

We went to the same Kumon class and through math, we became best friends. I know, we had tiger moms. But in Hong Kong, that's considered normal. 

We settled on the couch in her pristine living room that probably came right off the pages of an Ikea magazine. I guess the new rage was lavender and white. 

"So what have you been up to?" I said after she gulped the remedy down and the healthy flush was starting to return to her cheeks. 

"Not much," She said shrugging "just working at my dad's company." 

Jessica's family ran a successful shipping company that was probably going to passed down to her older brother when her dad was retired. Like my father, Jessica's father felt that with their wives spending so much money on shopping and high tea, it was acceptable to drown themselves in work to avoid looking the credit card bills.

"What about the store?" Jessica ran a small boutique in Causeway Bay, one of the most popular shopping areas in Hong Kong, where she designed 99% of the things she sold. 

"It's still there," She said, "But my dad likes the idea that it stays a hobby."

Jessica always had an eye for fashion and designing. She even designed my prom dress in my senior year. I still had it and still tried it on to see if I had gotten back the back fat I had been to determine to lose before starting college, thankfully no, It was still loose.

"You really should do it full time." I said, "You are so talented." 

"Maybe after Jeremy takes the company." She said referring to her older brother. "By then I think my parents wouldn't care." 

"You're forgetting about marriage," I said mimicking my mother with her famous index finger shaking.

"Ugh don't remind me." She said leaning back into a pile of pillow behind her.

"What happened to that guy," I said snapping my fingers pretending to forget. "The son of the lawyers." 

She shook her head vigorously before groaning "He was an ass. Total player but totally charmed the shit out of my parents." Then she sat up quickly before a conniving grin reached her lips "But the last I heard was he got a local girl pregnant after a one night stand and was forced into marriage."

We both laughed. It was not unusual for the family to rush a couple into a marriage if there was a pregnancy involved to avoid family shame.

"So I guess you've been partying it up enough for the both of us," I smirked. Jessica wasn't a homebody, she was a true city girl. 

"Yup," she said taking another sip of her ginger remedy. "You know it. Let's go to Dragon-I tomorrow night." 

I shook my head with a chuckle. "I would love to but I can't, remember I'm meeting up with Kelly. Kelly was my Big from my college sorority and was in Hong Kong working as a youth leader for a sister church she was sent to. 

"Well invite her too!" Jessica exclaimed like it was the most obvious solution. "The more the merrier." 

"I'll ask." I giggled "I'm not quite sure if she's into that party scene that much anymore. She here for her church. Remember?"

"Well, I'm sure God will let her take a break from her religious duties of reading the Bible." She said rolling her eyes

Kelly was far from a prude, in fact, she was a big partier in college. But since she graduated, she went out less as she became closer to her church. I had no problem with that but she may not want to drink till the sunrise like she used to. 

"I'll ask." I said with a smile and shaking head. "I'm going to shower and then let's go get boba and cha shau fan."  

I was ready for some Hong Kong street food I have been craving.

She nodded with a grin and I went to shower.