Scene 'Straight' from a Movie

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

First night here and we started it off with a little confusion and fun.

The train arrived late so after getting settled in, eating some dinner, and walking the town, we headed back to our hotel. It was probably 2 am. As we were walking my bro got this itch to check out a lounge we were passing that was playing some Asian music with an R&B vibe to it. There was a lady dressed in traditional Malaysian garb on stage singing and the place was appealing enough, so we decided to go in. The doorman kind of laugh/snorted and shook his head as he returned our IDs and I had no idea what alla that even meant. We went in and took a seat at a table. That was about 30 seconds past the point that things had started to get weird.

Walking in I noticed about five couples on the dance floor who were getting it in! They danced like machines! Hitting every beat with aggression and confidence. The movements were a little strange to me because of the cultural influence but it wasn't bad, just different. A waiter came up to my bro and asked if he wanted to order any drinks. He said no. Twenty seconds later, another waiter comes up to him and asks if he wants anything to drink. He said no. Forty-five seconds might have passed before a different waiter approached him and asked the same. Again, he said no. When the fourth waiter approached, I took my eyes from the dance floor and re-examined my surroundings. You know that feeling when you are in denial...where you start to reason things and you know that they don't make any sense but there is the slightest possibility that they do, so you hold onto that hope for dear life? Well, I didn't hold onto that hope for long at all.

I knew there were a lot of males in the lounge, but they weren't checking me out which I attributed to the idea that I wasn't their type of girl. The girls were checking my bro out which I figured was due to the fact that he is tall with bushy hair which is far from the norm around Asia. The plain truth was slapping me right in my face but I pushed it away and reasoned the fact that only males were on the dance floor was just another cultural custom.

BUT, when the song changed and pelvises started thrusting... at OTHER pelvises, I just burst out laughing! Everything became clear, like I'd just had Lasik! The waiters were all trying to get close to my bro, the chicks behind us were likely not chicks at all, the dudes around us had meticulously shaped eyebrows and unbuttoned shirts, and that knowing look the doorman had given me when we first walked in was one of amusement. Oh! Now I get it. We sat there for about a minute just feeling the music, laughing, and taking in the reality of our situation. Then, just as quickly as we came in, we were out. Doesn't get much more real than that. So glad we don't take ourselves too seriously!