貝夫人 Madame Bijoux

The midlife crisis has finally, officially hit me - I spent x sum of money at Tiffany yesterday indulging myself with accessories from my favorite designer, Elsa Peretti!  I e-mailed Mr. LK who's traveling for business right now to see if he will reimburse me for the 'Mother's Day Gift' but met with silence.  Honey, at least I did not come home with a Lamborghini...  I have been a minimalist my whole life up to now; I am my own rock and nothing really turned my head.  It just happened that I came back exhausted from a whirlwind business trip to Asia(and then hubby traveled right the way), needed to tackle a tricky case as soon as I stepped into the office, and got downloaded a new project that really is just another big marketing charade.  I cannot help but to wonder… I must have a more important mission on this earth and what is it?  I am stopping right here or about to break out singing Les Miserables… 

Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me

What your sacrifice was for

Empty chairs at empty tables

Where my friends will sing no more

I met several colorful characters during the trip, the perfect inspiration for my future career as a novelist :)

Here's the 'being there' present from Madame Bijoux.  Golden chain, golden beads, and South Sea pearls… that will be a sharp detour from my usual aesthetic.  Perhaps I can pull off a Chanel by wearing it with a white collared navy shirt?

此趟商旅巧遇幾樁奇人軼事, 倒像是替我未來小說家夢打底.  其中之一是馬尼拉的貝夫人, 貝夫人乃某工廠董事, 舉手投足皆有老派生意人的風範, 先是輕揮纖纖玉指示意秘書遞上見面禮, 說是秘書那老嫗卻更像紅樓夢裏跟隨富家小姐一輩子的乳母丫環, 而後開啟話頭貝夫人竟握住我手, 輕輕摸我頭髮問起今年幾歲?  結婚沒有? 頓覺自己搖身ㄧ變神話九尾狐, 靈獸有情感反射幻術, 渴望情人者見情人, 思念兒女者見兒女…  貝夫人皮膚白晳五官精緻, 褐色的眼瞳泛藍, 一串綻著七彩的巴洛克式珍珠襯著巴掌大的小臉, 有幾分像我外婆年輕時模樣, 我不禁心頭一軟便任她握著手叨絮, 貝夫人年輕時應該十分絕艷, 珠寶獨鍾美人, 親炙耳畔頸項指間, 幅幅璀燦名畫天成, 反之, 則盡嘲諷能事, 珠寶愈名貴愈顯配戴者惡俗, 世界從來不公平.  原來貝夫人的丈夫是外交官, 她不甘富豪少奶生活, 創辦更式各樣南洋珠生意, 獨生女負笈英倫後目前定居澳洲…  ㄧ同出差的W細聲說如果她有貝夫人的錢與閒, 才不自討苦吃工作呢!  其實, 貝夫人的心情我略懂, 生活中某些空虛並非財富能填滿, 我們要好努力好努力, 才不會讓它吞噬… 要從那虛無感解脫除非在對的時空做對的事, 在對的時間遇見對的人.  離開展覽會前, 我忍不住回頭看看貝夫人, 她文秀端坐ㄧ隅, 眼神飄忽至遙遠的年代, 側影娟細如畫… 美麗的外交官夫人, 寂寞的美麗的女人.

That's what happened when I was left to my own devices at a mega shopping center in a foreign country - I always gravitated toward FOODS!

ps.  輪到LK先生商旅, 我時差仍未調換, 天天馳騁南北上班下班接送孩子… 累得我衝動的想遞辭呈, 辭的不只是工作, 還有妻子的身份!!!  當母親倒是快樂的, 小V傻呼呼但可愛到極點, 月初LK先生長尾巴, 男性這類物種愈老愈自戀兼俗不可耐, 他碎碎唸又老了ㄧ歲(奇怪耶, 你又不是金城武或竹野內豐, 老不老何分別之有?!)  小V連忙說媽咪和爸比不ㄧ樣喔, 媽咪愈過生日愈年輕! 我樂不可支, 笑得滿地打滾 :)