Free The Fold by An Na

folds, but many Asian women have to surgically create them.”
    “Oh.” Joyce noticed that Arlene didn’t say whether hers were natural or not.
    Arlene came back with a small compact and showed her the colors of the eye shadow. “What colors did your sister pick for your bridesmaid gown?”
    “Huh?” Joyce said.
    Arlene smiled patiently. “The color theme. I thought maybe I could complement it with your eye shadow color.”
    Joyce still had no idea what Arlene was talking about, but she picked two colors anyway. “Uhm, I think purple and green.”
    Arlene looked surprised. “That’s kind of different.” She studied the eye shadow palette in her hands and pursed her lips. “Maybe this velvet brown might work.”
    Joyce closed her eyes as she saw Arlene reaching forward with her small angled brush.
    “Did your sister hire a wedding consultant?”
    “Yeah,” Joyce said quickly.
    Arlene spoke more to herself. “I wonder who she went with, because the colors are so unusual.” Arlene pulled back. “She didn’t go with someone from the Valley, did she?”
    Joyce tried to look as horrified as Arlene. “Oh, no.”
    “I suppose purple and green could look really sophisticated, depending on the shade.”
    “Yeah,” Joyce quickly agreed and started to sneeze again.
    Arlene handed her a tissue.
    “I’m going to start with the darker colors near your eyes and lighten as we get closer to your eyebrows. Most Asians can’t wear more than two or three shadesbecause of the size of their fold.” Arlene stood back to check her work and then brought the brush for a final dusting on Joyce’s lids. Joyce wanted to ask Arlene about the surgery. Maybe she knew people who had come to her afterwards for some makeup tips. Maybe Arlene had undergone plastic surgery. Joyce crossed her legs, uncrossed them, and crossed them again. There was only one way to find out, and her makeup session was almost over.
    “Now for your lip color,” Arlene said and reached back for a small rectangular tray that held an assortment of lipstick shades. “I would suggest going with something a little bolder than what you are probably used to. See this color?” Arlene pointed it out.
    “Can I ask you a question, Arlene?” Joyce interrupted.
    Arlene looked up.
    Joyce stared at Arlene’s perfectly creased lids. “Have you ever had plastic surgery?”
    A tiny line appeared between Arlene’s eyebrows. “Did someone put you up to this?” she asked.
    “No!” Joyce frantically shook her head. “Oh, no. No, not at all.”
    Arlene stepped back and evaluated Joyce, butthis time, she seemed to be looking at Joyce’s eyes as opposed to her entire face. Arlene’s eyes narrowed. “Did you hear something about me?”
    Joyce could feel her face flaming up under all the makeup. Joyce’s hands began to flutter. “No, I didn’t even know you worked here until my friend Gina brought me over to your counter. I was just curious.”
    “Well, maybe you should learn to mind your own business.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s just that. Oh, man.” Joyce’s face itched like crazy, but she knew she couldn’t damage all the work that Arlene had just done. Joyce reached up and scratched the top of her head. “I don’t know what I’m doing here. Well, I do know, but it’s kind of weird. It’s like this. My aunt offered to give me that eyelid surgery. You know, to get the folds put in.”
    Arlene raised one eyebrow.
    “Really,” Joyce continued. “And I’m not sure if I should get them, but my friend Gina thought that if I got a makeover I might see how good I could look. That, and I owed her money for a yearbook and I had to pay her back and she wanted—”
    Arlene lightly touched Joyce’s shoulders. “Joyce, you are babbling. Plastic surgery isn’t something youshould jump into because you’re getting it as a gift.” Arlene stepped closer to Joyce and nodded in time to her lecture. “Accidents can happen. Painful,