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Pink popcorn-ladies.

As I was filling in the registration card, and wondering how it would end up being typed into the computer, I glimpsed a lot of pink moving around in the area beyond the reception. The ceilings were elaborate and high, and people seemed focused and busy with the task at hand. The card was swapped for a wristband, which was fixed to my wrist with great efficiency. Then we were swiftly taken to sitting area in the middle of the bustle of activity. Not being told what would happen next, we sat there for a little, wondering “what now”. It was fascinating seeing pink ladies busy at work, and quite a few contentedly sitting around in little groups chattering away.

After a little while, I decided that it would be a good idea to enquire at the second reception-like counter in the middle of the area as to how to proceed. This turned out to be a wise decision, as the lady I spoke to quickly found one of the registration-card-and-wristband ladies who whisked us over to a couple of chairs, previously occupied by some of the less busy pink ladies, and suddenly there was fluster of activity around us. We were assigned two pink ladies each, but while they were preparing, another lady who was not in pink, came over with a tray of small glasses of water, wondering if we would like a little refreshment. Of course we accepted. It is always good to drink water when offered, and important to not get dehydrated (which was a possibility as we had no idea how long the pink ladies would take). 

While the pink ladies were still unpacking their different tools and textiles, the familiar smell of popcorn wafted over to where we were sitting. My immediate thought was that it must be some stray child who had accidentally ventured into pink-lady-land with some popcorn, or a shopping mall vendor who decided that it would be expedient to set up shop outside this establishment. I was wrong. The lady with the tray had swapped water with popcorn, and now very politely inquired if we would be interested in a mini popcorn box each. As it would of course potentially be seen as rude to decline, and because said popcorn smell had indeed reminded me that I was in fact a bit peckish, I accepted. At this point the pink ladies were nearly ready, so I ate the popcorn as quickly as possible, without seeming like someone who hadn’t eaten for a while. I knew that once they got to work, my hands would not be available to aid me in eating the popcorn. Shortly after the arrival of popcorn, fresh guava (or something orangy) juice was also served, which was consumed at the same speed as the popcorn for the same reasons.

Finally the pink ladies were ready, and they set to work. One of them expertly took my hands one at a time, and swiftly and efficiently did a lovely manicure, while the other one gave me a pedicure. There were some giggles from the ladies when I found it hard to sit still while having my feet scrubbed, but I told the pink lady to keep going. The discomfort was worth it. The ladies worked precisely and quickly. At times they would chatter a bit between themselves, but mostly they focused on their work. And I was quite happy to not have to have a long elaborate conversation. It was actually quite nice to just sit, not needing to do anything, yet knowing that at the end I would have beautiful nails as a result.

And then they were done. Pink pedicure lady helped me put my flip flops on my feet to avoid the fresh nail varnish from smearing, and pink manicure lady helped me get my card to pay so at so not ruin the varnish on my finger nails. We then went to our final stop on the pink lady adventure, which was back to registration-and-wristband-reception. Here the wristband was snipped off, the number entered the system (which I had observed my pink ladies registering in their smartphones), and voila payment could be made.

It was an adventure, and even if the whole ordeal only lasted an hour or two, the memory of it still brings a smile to my face and brings me joy. And I think the smell of popcorn will forever be associated with pink nail ladies.

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