The Perfect Night

"Should I get the one in Red or Black?", Ishah asked me for the umpteenth time we were in the shoe shop. In my mind, I was racing to get out of that shop. It was torturous, to have to accompany her to the shoe shop at least once every fortnightly to temporarily quench her 'beyond control' shoe fetish.

Like a helpless fool, I only knew too well that it would have been fruitless to persuade her to walk out of the shop empty handed. Half-heartedly, I muttered, "Black lah Black lah. It goes well with the new top", I tried to sound helpful, praying that it would hasten the decision making process. "But the red one is nice too!", she exclaimed. Here we go again, as I prepared myself to warm the stool for another half an hour.

"You angry with me ah?", Ishah snuggled up to me as she playfully boxed my chest repeatedly. "Ok lah ok lah, now we can go and look for your shirt k?", she tried to comfort me. I glanced at my watch, cursing under my breath that I'm left with just under 20 minutes before the mall closes and I have yet to get a white shirt for my annual company Dinner & Dance the following day.

My attempts to scour for the perfect white shirt was a total nightmare. I only managed to look through two boutiques before the store assistants began to hint at me that they would have to call it a day soon. Reluctantly, I was plagued with the decision to either purchase a shirt which cutting I did not fancy, or to wear my old shirt. I opted for the latter.

Bursting with anger I quickened my pace as Ishah struggled to keep abreast with me. Her shopping bags were holding her back but she knew me too well to even whisper for assistance. We didn't speak a word on the way home. It wasn't new to us this painted scenario. Somehow or rather, I tend to simmer down after an hour or so. But not today.

As we were walking toward Ishah's house, I broke the most uncomfortable of silence yet in our two year relationship. "You better not wear that new pair of shoes for the dinner tomorrow", I warned her sternly. "But why?", she pleaded in her catlike mews. "Well you know too well how popular you and your blister prone feet are with new pairs of shoes! I got no time to entertain your nonsense tomorrow Ishah". She hung her heavy head low, and we parted ways for the night without the usual peck on the cheek.

Invigorated by a much needed ten hour sleep, the first thing I thought about when I woke up to the morning sun was Ishah. I knew she was going to mesmerize me with her dazzling sequined dress and infectious smile. I smiled to myself, as I pictured entering the ballroom with our hands entwined, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

Ishah didn't dissapoint me that night. The blooming orchids paled and bowed down to her as she stood there glittering in the shadows. She glistened in the dark as the moonlight reflected itself into a million angles off her sequined dress. Her Tiffany necklace accesorised her bare neck. A gift I got her for our first year anniversary. But most heart warming of all was that she wore her hair into a bun knowing that it would give her a huge headache by the end of the night. But Ishah knew that I loved it when she do up her hair that way.

As I got closer, I cant't help noticing the new pair of shoes she had on, but I decided to not utter a word and ruin this perfect evening. I was almost too afraid to even touch her, for fear that her delicate beauty would be brutally tampered with before we even reached the hotel.

I held her hands under the evening sky for a brief few seconds, distracted. I didn't mind just standing there, allowing her to overpower me while time stood still. "Well Shall we go my dear?", she broke the silence and brought me back to my senses. "Can we not go?", I asked cheekily as we walked toward the idling car.

I was blessed that night as Ishah blended well with my colleagues and superiors.They took an instant liking toward her. She knew when to crack a joke and when to say the right words. Her poise and finesse surprised even myself for I never saw this side of her before. For a mildly shy girl, I was taken aback when she readily agreed to take part in the activities lined up for the night.

I noticed Ishah beginning to move rather uneasily as the night wore on. The curse of the new shoes! As I walked with her toward the dance floor, she tried her best not to limp. She caught me gazing at her swollen heel but she didn't mutter a word. Just the sweetest wry smile for a response.

We danced, we talked, we teased and we acted as though we have not seen each other for ages. The silence was comfortable this time round as our bodies sashayed along with the rhythm of the slow number filling the ballroom air, marking the end of a wonderful evening.

As I brought my car up close to the pavement, my heart seemed heavy with lead, as i woke Ishah up from her sleep, knowing that the night was about to end. I could tell that her head was about to burst as she immediately let loose her hair before I could even walk to the other side to open her car door.

Ishah still managed to radiate a warm smile as she held my hands and got out of the car. Her right heel was bleeding by now from the squirm on her face but yet again she put on a brave front and tried to hide it from me.

I lowered myself and motioned for her to wrap her arms around my neck so that I could piggyback her and save her from further torment. She obliged willingly at my sudden display of affection. It isn't me to pamper her this way but somehow, I could not explain my actions that night.

We didn't talk as I struggled along the long pathway. The crickets provided some background orchestra while I felt her heavy breaths upon my neck. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her eyes were closed but she had on the most satisfying of smiles. I huffed and I puffed as I manoevered up the flights of steps till I reached the fourth storey and right up till her doorstep.

"We're home", I said while she gently got off from my aching back. "Thank You", she said with her eyes half closed as she massaged my spine for a brief few seconds. I kissed her on her forehead and wished her good night and disappeared down the flight of steps as soon as the door closed on me.

The events of the night flashed back into my mind as I walked past the exact spot where she stood and waited for me earlier on. It was then that I received a long text message on my mobile. It was from Ishah. It read:

"I had such a good time tonight and I'm sorry that I wore my new pair of shoes. It was just that it looked perfect with my dress. Sorry that you had to carry me back up all the way to the fourth storey k? By the way, that was the best part of the night for me. Love you deep deep! Nite."

My heart felt heavy again but only because it was full of love for Ishah. I didn't tell her this, but that was the best part of the night for me too.