February 1991
After running six miles on the treadmill Gail Chong turned off her Walkman and mopped her sweaty face and neck with a towel. After resting a little she pumped some iron in the campus gym. It was Saturday morning and the place was packed with students and she had to wait her turn at many of the machines. Throw in the fact that it was an unusually hot day in February and the air conditioning in the gym was broken. Brilliant! But she maintained her patience, being friendly and courteous to her fellow students, as Guns and Roses was blasted into her ears.
After completing a few sets of arm curls using dumbbell weights, she worked in with a guy at the fly machine. When she was done she wiped her perspiration off the seat and moved on. She noticed some guys checking her out. They'd stare but rarely approached her. Her male friends said it was because of her size and shape and the fact that she was intimidating. She didn't think she was intimidating. . .well, maybe sometimes. But she was glad she didn't have to worry about guys hitting on her all the time.
You see, Gail was big and tall for an Asian woman, and was glad she broke all the stereotypes associated with them. She wasn't submissive, obedient, shy, passive, good at massages, didn't believe in women doing all the work, didn't like Hello Kitty, and was horrible at math and the sciences. She wasn't a bad driver and definitely wasn't the model minority. Instead, she cursed aloud at terrible drivers (especially the Asian ones), played air guitar and air drums while driving, banged her head to metal behind the wheel, occasionally got Ds and Fs on her class work, got fired from a work-study job, liked wrestling guys (especially arm wrestling), and liked all men, not just white guys. In fact, she belonged to the Asian Student Union and facilitated a workshop on the whole Asian women dating white men issue.
Gail was nearly six feet tall and had a thick, muscular build (but she wasn't fat or chubby). She thought some of her best features were her huge, muscular thighs and calves. Some of the guys working out agreed, as they looked at them. She heard one young man whisper to his friend, "God, look how big her thighs and calves are. Never saw such a big Asian girl before." Her butt was big and curvy like a black woman's, another feature that stopped men dead in their tracks and made their jaws drop open. Her breasts were large, her lips big and full, her shoulder length black hair big and wavy like her favorite big hair rockers. Her skin complexion was brown.
She used a bunch of leg machines, ending with the leg press. Guns and Roses's "Civil War" blared from her Walkman's earphones. When she finished her last set her Scorpion's T-shirt and tight purple shorts were drenched in sweat. Her big butt cheeks bulged out a little from the shorts and she pulled the shorts down occasionally. Then she wiped her sweat off the machine's seat.
After taking a quick shower, she walked out to her bike in her flip flops and rode through the streets of Davis until she reached her house. She took off her helmet and went in, smelling fresh Chinese food.
Her cousin and roommate, Linda, was making fried rice. Compared to Gail, she was shorter and had pale skin, had an athletic physique, and had short dark hair.
"Smells delicious!" Gail said.
"Thanks. Irene and Steve should be back soon."
"Okay." Gail took out the chow fun she prepared last night and heated it up in the oven.
Moments later, a slender black woman and a stocky white man came in with bags in their hands. These were Gail and Linda's roommates, Irene and Steve.
Irene put her hands up in the air, laughing. "I know, I know, I'm lame and uncreative. I should've cooked something. It's a potluck and barbeque. But I opted for the easy way and bought something."
"It's okay," Gail said. "What'd you get?"
"Gumbo and fried chicken. I know, stereotypical. We're celebrating Chinese New Year, Black History Month, and your birthday all in one, remember?"
Gail beamed. "Yeah! February's an awesome month. What'd you get, Steve?"
"What else? Booze!" He put the bottles and cans into the fridge and a large cooler.
Irene handed Gail a pointed birthday hat that looked like a dunce cap and she put it on, strapping the rubber band under her chin. "There you go! Stunning!" Irene said.
Linda laughed. "Hey, don't you wanna get out of that Def Leppard shirt and purple shorts?"
"Why?" Gail asked. "I like them. Besides, it's hot outside."
"Speaking of music," Irene said, dashing off to the living room for a second to throw on a rap CD. Loud, vibrating bass heavy music shook and rattled the window frames and floor. She returned to the kitchen.
"Hey, 'Rene, isn't your brother coming later?" Linda asked.
Irene grinned mischievously. "Oh, yeah. . .he is, finally. He keeps flaking out on me. But he promised me he'd come today. . .he always asks about you, Gail. . ."
Gail was intrigued, turning to her. "What do you mean?"
Irene's maintained her naughty smile. "Marcus is always askin' if you're single. He didn't make any moves before 'cause you had a boyfriend. But I told him you're single now and I think my little brother's interested in you. Don't disappoint my baby brother now, girl!"
"Wait, he came here before, didn't he?" Gail asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"Yeah, for my birthday party, remember?"
Gail laughed. "That's right. The male stripper that burst out of that giant cake! Nice lap dance!"
"There you go."
"Your brother came to one of my hula dancing classes, too, right?
Irene nodded, chuckling. "He stared at your big thighs and calves under that grass skirt all afternoon. Said he enjoyed watching you dance barefoot."
Linda hooted and howled. "Baby!"
"He thought you were either Filipina, Hawaiian, or Japanese."
"Nope, one hundred percent Chinese, baby!" Gail replied. "What else did he say?" Her expression was curious.
"He asked if you dated black guys and I told him you were one of the most open-minded people I know. Although I remember you telling me in the past about your preference for Asian men."
"I've expanded my preferences since."
"So you're interested, I take it?"
"Well, I don't remember much about Marcus so let me refresh my memory later and see how it goes."
"You sure seem to remember him! Oh, the volleyball match!" Irene said, eyes wide open.
"Huh?"
"When you and the other members of the Asian Student Union had that barbeque last summer and played volleyball in the sand. Me, Marcus, and a couple of his friends stopped by, remember?"
Gail thought a moment, nodding. "Talk about baking under the sun!"
"You guys chatted briefly and I recall him commenting on your tight purple shorts with your booty cheeks sticking out!"
Linda hooted and howled again, putting the fried rice in a large bowl.
"And him staring at your legs and enjoying watching you play barefoot."
Steve came in, scratching his head. "What's all this barefoot stuff about?"
Gail put on her ankle sweatbands and walked barefoot to the door after someone rang the doorbell. Her other cousins, Robert, Max, and Karen greeted and hugged her and came in with their dishes. Several minutes later, Gail's brother arrived with egg rolls, pot stickers, and chow mein.
He eyed her from head to toe, mouth gaped open. "Whoa! You've gotten more muscular!"
"Been hitting the gym a lot."
Irene came over, smiling. "So this is your little bro. Hi, I'm Irene." They shook hands.
"Yep," Gail said, towering over him. "I used to protect him from bullies at school. Remember that time we walked home from school and I beat up those three boys that were harassing you?"
Irene raised her eyebrows. "Wow! Impressive."
Her brother smiled. "She ain't lying. My big sister can fight."
The rap CD ended and someone threw on a Beasties Boys album. The windows rattled again as "You Gotta Fight for your Right to Party" started. Gail's cousin, Robert, tapped her pointed birthday hat, chuckling.
"Cute!" he said. "So are we gonna do the Dragon Boat or not?"
"I'm game."
"Cool. I'll bring the registration forms when I see you in class."
"Me and Linda are coordinating another ASU barbeque and volleyball match. Want to play?"
