Today: Thomas’s meeting with Mr Go gets more bizarre . . .

 

 

 

Cast of characters

 

 

 

Thomas

 

 

 

Mr Go

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

* Thomas’ fate is being decided by a very strange acting Mr Go *

 

 

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one pacing around nervously?” Thomas asked light-heartedly.

 

 

 

Go didn’t seem to hear him.

 

 

 

He was pre-occupied.

 

 

 

Thomas: “What’s up Mr Go? I haven’t been in a meeting this serious since grade school, when I flipped Pearl Brown’s dress up during recess and saw her undies!”

 

 

 

“Principal gave me the strap for that! And the crap kicked out of me by her big brother Leonard.”

 

 

 

He laughed at his own joke and it echoed around the room but failed to infect Go, who still seemed out of his element.

 

 

 

Finally the boss produced a pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket, inserted one between his lips, and held the pack up to Thomas.

 

 

 

This was odd, because Thomas had already told him many times he didn’t smoke.

 

 

 

Nevertheless, the Canadian waved him off and took another stab at lightening the atmosphere: “Sorry Mr Go. Korean cigarettes are too … wimpy.”

 

 

 

Korean smokes are very mild compared to Canadian ones.

 

 

 

* Can Thomas get Mr Go on his side? *

 

 

 

His boss looked puzzled and withdrew the cigarette package, tossing it on the desk where it slid to a halt right at the edge.

 

 

 

Thomas found himself staring at it and remained perfectly still, not wanting to nudge it over.

 

 

 

He also realized that he’d just blown a prime chance at bonding by not accepting the tobacco offering.

 

 

 

The sullen Go withdrew a lighter from his jacket pocket and fired up his smoke.

 

 

 

Thomas wanted to remind him of his comment about the pollution coming into the room from outside, but was getting the impression that he should just shut up and get this over with.

 

 

 

Go took a giant inhale and looked down at the table.

 

 

 

Then he exhaled a huge blue cloud of contaminants, which swiftly and stealthily seeped throughout the entire tiny room.

 

 

 

A second puff produced a thick, concentrated orb, which hung right over the desk and temporarily obscured Thomas’ view of Go.

 

 

 

All of a sudden the boss flicked his cigarette down to the floor and mashed it out with the sole of his black business shoe.

 

 

 

Then he started shouting irately.

 

 

 

“You cause many problems here. My business losing much money!”

 

 

 

Thomas was aghast as he fanned smoke away from his face.

 

 

 

Is he talking about me?

 

 

 

He didn’t know Go very well, didn’t talk to him much, but certainly had never seen him angry like this.

 

 

 

Was this for real?

 

 

 

It seemed as if he wasn’t himself.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry Mr Go, but … what?”

 

 

 

Go seemed to be reciting a speech or something.

 

 

 

“Mr Go, are you taking one of those toastmaster classes? Full marks if you are – this seems very real.”

 

 

 

“I receive many complaints! Maybe you will be fired!”

 

 

 

Thomas could feel beads of sweat on his forehead, more from the humidity in the room as opposed to Go’s verbal barrage.

 

 

 

He shrugged, unfazed.

 

 

 

“Actually, I might be completely mistaken Mr Go, but I thought I was doing a pretty damn good job so far.”

 

 

 

The boss looked away and then up at the ceiling.

 

 

 

The only audible sounds were cars hissing by outside and youthful, pent-up students running up and down the institute hall yelling at each other.

 

 

 

And the sound of Thomas’s stomach rumbling.

 

 

 

“Honestly,” Thomas continued, “you’ve caught me off guard with this one.”

 

 

 

His eyes inadvertently peered past Go to the door and surrounding wall.

 

 

 

He hadn’t noticed it at first but there was a big mirror mounted beside the door.

 

 

 

He grinned as he imagined one of those big one-way jobs just like in the movies, with someone behind it, directing this whole diabolical meeting and pulling Go’s strings.

 

 

 

He chuckled.

 

 

 

“Why you laugh?” Go exclaimed, seeming to go off script.

 

 

 

He looked around the room and then his voice changed noticeably to an everyday, normal timbre. “Why are we … in this room?”

 

 

 

He gazed around looking totally disoriented.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Tomorrow: Thomas makes a decision on Mr Go’s strange demand.