From the last episode... Episode 3: The year I started menjinakkan diri dengan make ups and drags

Then all of a sudden... lepas I made that wish - that very moment when I said to myself "Ahhh abaikan jer lah - that wish will never come true. Who am I kidding...", I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice saying... "Jauh termenung? Teringin ke???" .... - to be continued... in Episode 4, of Once upon a time, I was that Showgirl....

Episode 4: A wish that came true

"Jauh termenung? Teringin ke???" suara tu berkata pada mek. It buatkan mek terjaga dari lena, melihat aksi Sherryn menari lincah... I turned around, to see who was it. I was sure it wasn't Angah sbb Angah was next to me and I was VERY sure that voice memang bukan milik Acak yang sememangnya mempunyai suara kepit. (Acak joined me and Angah later kat Club tu that night... apparently buatkan Angah tak sedap duduk. Ehehehe)

As I turned around, I saw this, guy, with semi-long hair, shoulder length kot... broad face la jugak... smiling at me. Mek yang all of a sudden, tetiber cuak, I also don't know why, just smiled cuak (very the nampak sangat cuak - mek also can't figured out why) and terus tunduk.

"Abang nak adik call Abang lepas nih... ni number Abang..." as he hulurkan his name card. Can't read it dlm club tu, too dark to read anything. Sekadar, "Ok" jer la mek replied, wanted to ask, "WHY? Ade masalah ke?" but I simpan je. Another pick-up line ka? Haiyoh!!! Perlu ke? The next time I turned around ke belakang, he wasn't there... Hmmmm... sehsuwatuh. I would have loveeedd to make myself think and believe that he was trying to ngorat I, provided he was good looking la kan. Ado? Nan ado... So since he wasn't that good looking, I just decided to believe that, I shouldn't be jumping into any conclusions, not until I read his card and call him...

Keluarnye mek dari the club, lepas hoo haar dengan Angah and Acak and some other few friends kat kedai minum depan Budak Biru club tu (Kak Ara)... baru mek teringat pasal card tu. I quickly tgk la kan card tu...

"Awie and Jimmy Collection"??? Collection ape pulak dah nih... tah... Couldn't be bothered. So I decided to just 'call jer la' esok...

The next day - I remembered I was having my usual facial mask-ing thingie over at USJ, atas sofa lagik mek ingat; I was berbaring, in my shorts - simple t, and yes, Quaker Oatmeal + Honey = my facial mask... So sementara nak menunggu 45mins before I go basuh muka dengan sabun susu kambing, I decided to sms si mamat semalam tu. Menurut kad tu, namanye Awie dan Jimmy; masalahnya, yang mana satu orangnye yang tegur mek malam tu? Awie ke, Jimmy? Hurmmmm... hentam jer la labu.

"Hi... semalam abang ada suruh adik call?" ... SEND

The next thing I knew... phone mek berbunyi. Ahhh shit! Dengan mask nih kat muke mek, cam mana nak cakap? Isk...

"H..he.. Hewoo?" I was like very cacat seminit cakap phone cam tu...
"Hello? Siape nih? Ada hantar sms kat saya tadi?"

Haiyoh!!! PERLU KE DIA CALL!? Cannot use sms sytem ka!? Isk...

"Eer... boweh sms dak... mu..ka.. ada.. fa..cial.. ma.sk... t..tak leh ca..kap be.. tul..be..tul..." puuupp I hung up the phone... terus quickly mek menggunakan skill speed master mek menaip sms sebelum dia sms mek dan maki hamun muke mek sebab letak phone...

"Oic.Apsal x ckp tgh buat facial.Nih adik yg abg jmpa smlm ke?Kalu ye, xpe.ptg skit abgcall balik.bye"

Hmmm - bertambahlah tertanya2 mek, ape nih?!?!?!

So petang tu later a bit, he did call. Waktu tu and Acu tgh jogging kat the nearby taman kat USJ3 tu. I stopped for while, Acu also. Jawab lah call tu, as I already recognized the number...

"Hello? Dah habis buat facials? Hehehe" Sial jer the way dia mulakan conversation dia, kan?

"Yeap... dah. So nih siape? Sebab kalau ikut kat kad nama tu, ade Jimmy, ade Awie. Abang yang mana satu?"
"Abang nih Awie, Jimmy tu partner abang dalam my collection... Abang sebenarnya ada hal sikit nak sembang dengan... dengan..."
"Call I J jer..."
"Ah ok... J. Abang nak sembang sikit. Bila J free? Boleh kita jumpa?"

HaiyoH! THAT'S IT! I cannot take it anymore! I HAVE TO KNOW APE BENDE YANG DIA NAK CAKAPKAN NIH!?!?!?!

"Ala - cakap lah sikit dalam phone nih. J very tak suke surprise2, secret2 cam nih. J ade buat salah pe pe ke?" tetibe mek emo... eh? Tetibe ke? Bukan selalu? Eheheheheheh. Abang Awie also laughed a bit before answering...

"Tak der... kite nak borak sikit ngan J. Malam nih boleh kite jumpe J?" Kite pulak dah!?

So malam tu - Angah brought me to Bukit Bintang - jumpe this 'kite' Abang Awie tu. It was on a Saturday night - so go figure, very pack lah area tu. Panas sundel... tau tau jer la kenape. So lepas Angah dah nengok me duduk sembang ngan Abang Awie tu, Angah pon, ape lagik, masuk ler club Budak Biru tu, tinggallah mek dengan Abang Awie tu. Bile dah nengok bebetul... macam, 'patah' jer si 'abang' Awie nih? Hmmmmmm....

"So Abang... apa halnye yang Abang nak sembangkan tu?"
"Penah drag?"

Tersedak kejap mek time tu... haiyoh... motif, soalan gittu?

"Er... kenape???"
"Saje je tanye..."
"Tak... eh... penah, tapi, erm, tak drag keluar dari umah. Sekadar dlm umah memain jer... tu pun jarang..." Jarang mangkok hang lah Lea! By that time I had that conversation dengan Abang Awie tu, mek dah selalu sangat dah dok "Aloooonggg" or "Angah... make upkan Anjang. Jom ahhh!!!"... ehehehehe - so, jaranngg la sangat kaedahnye?!!! Maaati lah mek! Ehehehe

"Abang rase kan, J nih kalau drag, mesti muka macam Shasha Penang... kenal ke siape dia?"

Sekali lagi terbeliak biji mata mek! SHASHA PENANG!?!?!?! Haiyoh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She's like, idola mek ok! Cantik, hitam manis, very the anak mami from Penang. Showgirl berjaya time tu, dari Penang, menapak di KL, pastu, dah menang Miss World lah, itu la ini la... haiyoh... perlu ke muka me sama ngan dia? Ehehehehe... sembah sangat2 ratu Shasha Penang!!! Ehehehe...

"J rase J jer yang kenal dia. Dia confirm tak kenal ngan J pun; dulu ade sekali dua tgk dia buat show kat Babylon Boom Boom Penang, sekadar nengok dan minat jer dia, sebab dia cantik sangat2. Tapi memang J minat tgk dia. Idola sangat. Pandai menari semua. Tapi, rasenye, tak der lah muka J sama ngan dia kalau J drag. Lawak ahhh abang nih... Sah sah Shasha tu very der woman dah... hehehehe"
"Tak... abang serious nih. Muka J dah ala ala anak mami jugak... "
"Yooo lah tu... - so abang nak jumpa nih, semata2 nak tanye tu je ke?"

Tetiber Angah muncul duduk sebelah me... order air, pastu...

"Ha Ngah - ko tak cakap pulak muka J nih macam Shasha Penang bile dia drag?"
"Tak pulak?..." jawab Angah, slamber...

Like, EXCUSE ME!?!?! HELLO!? Angah kenal ke this Awie!? MOTIF tak cakap kat mek!?!?!?! Mek very the muka confused time tu... tapi, apa apa pun, we all bertiga sambung la talk talk sembang2; lama jugak. Awie memang dah kenal Angah, and vice versa. So sembang pi sembang mai - Awie nyatakan hasrat dia nak suruh me buat show utk showgroup dia, under the name Awie and Jimie collection... The group selalu perform kat Kelab Budak Biru tu, like, every Fridays and Saturdays... I don't know... me? Buat show? Gile ke ape... but I have to admit, I was feeling a bit excited about the offer, but I told Awie I wanted some time to think first. Awie agreed and asked me to take all the time I wanted. And when I'm ready, ..."You know who to call..."

The idea thrilled me... me got excited about it, but at the same time, it made me think a lot tau. Like, macam, tah la. Takut ade, excited ade. Takut ape? Everything - pecah lobang la. Ke, kalau ade rush, dan kena cekup in drag ke? Haiyoh!! TAKUT la...

During the few weeks mek been thinking, gi flight pun pikir, gi duduk temenung kat USJ also mek pikir... dalam masa2 yang sama tu, I noticed how Angah and Along (as a matter of fact, almost semue dalam the house) macam seeeeeeeeeeeeeebok nak suruh mek drag selalu and go out into the open. Motif???? Hurmmmm... Macam, tah lah. Very the sehsuwatuhs!!!!

Then - I found out ape yang tgh berlaku nih. Angah and the rest wanted to me to really get myself comfy drag in public, which at that time, haiyoh! Segan sundel! Slowly, bit by bit, Angah and Along and the rest semuanya like - tah lah: diaorang dah rajin cakap2 pasal hal2 drag nih, selalu pulak tu! Then, kerapkan sessi main2 make up2 nih... and then, one night...

I remembered, in a blue songket, design koler Cheongsam Cina, dan konsep tangan kembang dari siku, dengan palazo-like pants... Angah siapkan mek, in drag, and yes, with wig and bra semua cukup... with heels si Acak.. and took me out - for the first time!!! I wish I had that pic! Hhehehehehehehe... So anyways, ke mana Angah bawak mek pergi? He brought me to watch, MISS QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 2001!!! Yes, it was one of those drag beauty queen contest thing; noo lah. Bukan kat hotel memana pon. It was during a party thingie, kat RUMAH jer, kat Serdang, thus, nama lain utk pemenang malam itiew was Miss Serdang 2001. Plus pageant tu, dimonopoli oleh student2 UPM - semua gang2 la tu. Ehehehehe - tapi memang sambutan ramai sangatzzz. Anak2 ikan penuh nih, tak kurang jugak dipenuhi gayboy2 str8ing dan jugak yang pecah patah semua.

The best part about that night - as I sampai kat rumah tu, nak masuk jer rumah tu, semua diam! Semua like tgk mek as if they have seen a ghost! Lillah! Tak tipu! Mek also like, MOTIF!?!?!?!?! As I duduk sebelah Angah, getting comfy, I noticed ramai mulut dok sokseksoksek... ngumpat ka? Buruk ke mek!? Azab ke? Time tu rase cam nak balikkkkk sangat2!!! Memang malu sangat when you feel like everyone there tgh pandang u, and when they talk among themselves, you feel like they're like mengumpat you - dah la first time drag in public tu. Haiyoh!!! Tapi soon, I cooled down a bit when the contest bermula. Walaupun pesta beauty queen nih sekadar di rumah2, but I had fun watching the pageant - macam Miss2 bebetul tu ler... dan very nak iras Miss2 yang me, Aizul, Amirul and the rest of the gang main2 kat MRSM dedulu tu... TIBA2!?!?!?!!? - AMIRUL!?!?!?!

Amirul was there... terkejut jugak. KURUS gile dia - dah la tu, LAWA sial!!!! In drag nih, in everning dress, heels, rambut wig siput bun semue nih, diamond liplapliplap berkilauan... make up cantik.. semuanye la. Woman sangat! Dia di sitiew as last years' 1st runner-up (Queen Of The Year 2000's 1st runner-up... he was Miss Mexico back then...). I didn't have the chance to talk to Mirul just yet at that time, tgk dia busy. But afterwards, I surely had loads of fun talking to him, and exchanged numbers. Gawd. Lama gile tak jumpe dia. Last met or talked to him was in 1998...

"Haiyoh J... apa dah jadi ngan you sekarang nih? Dah nak jadi macam mak ke?" usik Amirul, yang sudah bergelar Miesya; dengan mek after the pageant, which telah dimenangi oleh Miss India, also final year student UPM kot, which Amirul and his gang gelarkan as SERENDIT NERAKA - whatever that means. Eheheheh.

"Ok ke mak drag nih? Malu la... first time nih, ok..."
"Ok lah tu J. Cantik... suka mak tgk ko cam nih... woman gittu... next year masuk lah pageant nih..."
"Hish - tannak lah. Segan la aku. Dulu main2 boleh lah, now... nak for real? Eeeeee.. simpang.." There's the SIMPANG statement again! Tsk tsk tsk - neeeever say simpang... ekekekeke, and I think you ols should know why...

And so we continued talking and what not, tapi tak lama, sebab I had to leave early - flying the next day. But I recalled lepas2 pada tu, ade jugak me calling2 Amirul and lepak2 dengan dia semua, and we did sembang, a lot.

So, did I gain any self-confidence time lepas pada malam Angah bawak I keluar malam tu? NOPE! NAN ADO! NO! NEHHI! DINCH! Well.... tak der lah completely no, but, still... tah lah. What happened during the party, orang bisik2 semua while staring at me, curi2 pandang, gelak2kan, itu lah semue yang Angah nak I face when I go out more nenanti. Angah wanted me to feel comfy being in drag also, in make up semua tu. Tah lah - I was soo very confused at that time....

But one fine day... as I got up from bed, all I could think of was... "I nak drag... and I wanna do that show!!!" - yes, tibe2... but that was like after several months jugak lepas malam intro Angah buat utk mek to be in drag in public kat Serdang tu. It was just like what Whoopi Goldberg said dalam script Sister Act 2 tu... "If you wanna be somebody, if you wanna go somewhere... you got get up and pay attention..." - and "If you wake up one day and you can't think of nothing else to do but to sing - then you go ahead and sing!" So that fine morning - or should I say afternoon kot, as I got up from bed... and all I could think about that day was - I wanna drag and perform... then I guess I just have to do something about it then.... :) To be continued....

Nurlea Laurielle Lai Lee Abdullah

^{PS: You know what peeps!? I HAVE A VERRRRY STRONG FEELING the year 2001 WILL TAKE MORE THAN JUST 2 ENTRIES TO FINISH... 2001 WAS 'the year' - get the point?... And I have a feeling, from 10 episodes, you can expect more! Ehehehehe... So, till tomorrow comes when Episode 5 will be published, goodnight people!!!}