Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Donna

Miss No

*

“I know he had a good excuse,” Donna said to Fred, “but Mr E and I are simply too different. It never would have worked out.

“I think we have the same goals in life but totally different values and lifestyles.”

“So, him standing me up again is strike 3 and in Korea that means game over.”

Pitter. Patter.

Thunk. Thunk.

Then a clap of thunder.

Fred didn’t mind the monsoon rains as they acted to cool off the scorcher temperatures of the last few days. It was usually only a brief reprieve however.

Undoubtedly the sun would be back tomorrow and turn the whole place into a sauna again.

The rhythm of the rain seemed to be pounding harder and harder when Fred and Donna realized someone was actually walking down the hall toward the office.

The pitter-patter of high heels clicking was strangely in perfect sync with the flurry of rain drops splattering against their building.

Inexplicably, Fred found himself bracing up.

* Who is it walking down the hall? *

*

Fred+Thomas                 

“Mr Go had to go to police station,” Miss No announced abruptly upon entering the office. “Someone he knows was involved in a violent assault.

Maybe Mr Go is a character witness?” She shrugged indifferently. “I’m not sure.”

* Who do you think was involved? *

There was a pregnant pause and Fred felt something in his brain directing him to get up and leave the room. It was a defence mechanism or survival instinct.

Just as he reached out to open the door, No asked: “Mr Fred, did you have a good night last night?”

“Not bad. Typical Sunday night I guess – quiet. Excuse me …” He tapped his throat and squinted. “Thirsty.”

He stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him.

These days No gave him tense vibes whenever they were in the same room (which, thankfully, wasn’t often).

* How come? *

It was simply a chemistry thing. Although she undoubtedly had the best of intentions, she tended to carry on conversations like a private investigator.

The harmless little question that she’d just asked echoed around in Fred’s head.

What was she getting at? Why would she care how my Sunday night went? Ayeesh!

A water dispensing machine sat at the end of a hall by an open window. A heap of smallish, conical paper cups lay strewn all around it.

The paper cups were new.

Only a few weeks before there’d been half a dozen stainless steel cups, which students used repeatedly – seemingly oblivious to any hygiene concerns.

Slowly but surely, Fred observed, Korea was becoming a disposable society just like Canada.

As he got to the cooler, thunder clapped again outside.

He peeled off a little paper cup and filled it. Glurp! He tilted his little cup to his lips and downed the water.

Thunder cracked further and the already-heavy rain intensified and started splattering into the hall through the wide-open window.

He reached to close it and inadvertently noticed someone scampering along the sidewalk below.

The rain was coming down in buckets but the man had no umbrella, just a flimsy, rolled-up newspaper as a substitute.

Fred chuckled. Then he did a double take.

The guy appeared to be Caucasian and had sandy hair. Foreigner!

Fred stepped right up to the window and strained for a closer look. Was that…

* Who could it be?! *

He yelled out excitedly, almost hysterically, like a parent who’s just spotted a lost child and watches in helpless horror as the dependent runs off in the opposite direction.

 “Thomas! Thomas! Is that you?”

* Is it really Thomas?! *

*

Tomorrow: Fred struggles to capture Thomas’ attention.