Marion wished she could do something to ease Cixi's pain. Her heart ached for her friend. Although Cixi never disclosed all the details of her life or the agonising thoughts she carried silently, it was never hidden from Marion. She caught it every time Cixi's lips curled into a smile while her eyes remained empty.
At times, guilt gnawed at Marion for being unable to do as much as she wished because of her own circumstances, but that shame never once led her to be absent in Cixi's life when she needed her the most. That was not who she was, and it never would be.
Marion's jaw tightened at the thought of Nelson's wife, Angelina, who was as vile a human being as Nelson himself for putting Cixi's utterly innocent life in danger.
She pulled her thoughts back and focused on Cixi, who sat with slumped shoulders, staring blankly at her coffee with hollow eyes.
"How about you move in here, to my apartment, until you find a job and a place to stay?" Marion suggested, and hope flared inside Cixi's heart, only to be swallowed by dark clouds of uncertainty moments later.
Marion's words brought an incredible amount of happiness to her lonely heart. She was once more taken aback by Marion's kindness and unsure whether it was a good idea.
"Umm... Your husband might not like it, and—"
"I will not take no for an answer, Cixi!" Marion did not let her finish. Her voice sounded firm, like a mother scolding a child. "Let me help you! I do not have a spare room, but you can share with my seven-year-old, Melisha. I am sure she will be thrilled to have company."
"That is very kind of you, Marion, but—" Cixi started, but Marion interrupted her once more, preventing her from explaining. She knew what Cixi wanted to say, and that she didn't want to be the reason for the couple's fight.
"I am out working, and my husband is always on the road. It would be a blessing if you could look after my children while we are gone." Marion knew precisely why Cixi was declining.
Cixi was embarrassed for not having enough money and didn't want to impose or take advantage of their friendship.
So Marion reframed her words. "Your help would take a mountain of worry off my shoulders about my kids, and I can focus on my job rather than worrying about them twenty-four hours a day. Please help me!" She said it in a way that positioned Cixi not as a guest receiving charity, but as someone whose presence was needed. And it worked.
"Are you sure about it?" Cixi wanted Marion to reconsider her decision.
But Marion nodded with conviction as her chin lifted with certainty, having already made up her mind. Then she added more with practicality. "Plus, Cixi, I am sure you do not want random strangers coming and knocking on your door at any hour of the day or night. You will not feel safe and won't even be able to sleep... And did you not tell me about those documentaries? About how young blonde women get kidnapped and trafficked, especially in our city?"
Cixi nodded in acknowledgement.
"You even dyed your hair black so you don't draw anyone's attention." Marion's gaze then drifted to Cixi's hair and lingered for a bit longer, and then continued speaking. "Then why did you colour your back to its original colour? And when did you get the time to turn black hair into golden blond?" She tilted her head, her brows drawing together as she studied it more observantly. "Was your hair not black yesterday?"
Cixi's hand flew up to touch the strands near her temple. "No, I did not dye my hair. It's still—." Her words perished when she saw she was holding golden-blond strands. Her brows knitted together, and a confused smile flickered across her face. "That's not possible."
"Did you look at yourself in the mirror this morning? Or you forgot you dyed it yesterday?" Marion questioned, and Cixi bolted from her seat immediately and rushed to Marion's bathroom, planted herself before the mirror, and stared at the reflection of her hair.
Her hair was long and reached her hips. Instead of natural blonde roots, which would have been logical, every strand from root to tip had returned to its original golden blonde overnight.
Marion followed her to the doorway and leaned against the frame, watching Cixi gawk at her own reflection in undisguised shock. Then she heard Cixi mumbling to herself.
"I was so much in my own head that I did not even pay attention to myself this morning. And I definitely did not colour my hair."
"Are you sure? Maybe you did it yesterday in a daze, anger, sadness, and did not realise?" Even though Marion uttered the words, they didn't sound right to her own ears, but again, anything was possible in life.
Cixi turned from the mirror and faced Marion with her brows lifted. "I have twelve dollars left in my bank account, Marion. Do you think I would spend that money on buying a hair colour?"
Marion's eyes squinted in contempt before conceding with a nod. "I don't know, Cixi. Could you explain, then, how your entire hair turned golden blonde? Did the fairy come and sprinkle some golden dust on your hair at night while you slept?"
Cixi hoisted herself onto the basin countertop, letting her legs dangle freely while her palms rested flat against the cool surface. 'Fairy?'
"I do not know." The words were barely audible.
'Was it the Grim Reaper doing?'
Wait—was that not a dream after all?!... No, that couldn't be possible, she reassured herself, shaking off the thought. Cassian saving her? Car accident? Getting kidnapped once more? Meeting the Grim Reaper? Being cursed with immortality? No, it was absurd. Completely and utterly absurd.
"I think I might have done it and don't remember," she muttered under her breath. "Or... I was so stressed, depressed, and miserable that my unnatural black hair colour could not resist the bad vibes and deflated all at once," Cixi deadpanned.
A snicker broke through Marion's lips involuntarily before she pressed her lips together. "I am glad you still have some humour left in you."
'My life is the biggest humour,' Cixi remarked to herself silently. But her mood soured the moment her thoughts took her to the former company… to her paycheck...
"I want my money, Marion." Instantly, Cixi's expression hardened. "I cannot let them keep my hard-earned and enjoy it. It's mine!"
They were so immersed in the discussion and thoughts that neither of them had noticed the absurdity of it that they were still standing in the bathroom, abandoning the living room for a difficult conversation. They simply talked wherever they were.
"It is not easy, but why don't you call Nelson and ask him over the phone to transfer your wages? I would not suggest going to the office in person. If Nelson's wife finds out you showed up there, she might re-upload your video, and God knows what else that woman is capable of."
Marion despised having to frame something so delicate with such bluntness. And Cixi needed to take every step carefully, so that it did not backfire.
"You are right! Maybe I should ring him now." Cixi agreed, and her hand reached instinctively for her phone before she paused and glanced around.
The toilet.
The basin.
The tiles.
"Why are we still here?"
Marion shrugged her shoulders in response.
They both shuffled back to the living room, and Cixi dialled Nelson's number without wasting a single moment.