Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Coffee Lady

Damion

*

“Okay fine, be like that,” Dame said to Coffee Lady.

“But if you’re not going to let me take your picture, then I’m going to ask you again: Who were those waygooks?”

* Will she tell him? *

Coffee Lady jerked her shoulder away and crossed her arms. “None of your business!”

She dropped her head down and sulked, curling her bottom lip out and puffing her cheeks.

After a tense few seconds’ silence, she exclaimed:

“I honestly don’t know how you can even show your face in here, given what you did to Thomas and knowing how I feel for him!”

Respectfully this time, Dame put his arm around her.

“Look, I do owe you an apology. Those last few weeks there, I simply couldn’t ignore my feelings for you.

“In the back of my mind, I honestly thought once Thomas was out of the way, you and me could …”  He removed his arm and looked down. “I’m a moron, I know.”

Coffee Lady didn’t bite the sympathy bait. “Ayeesh! You’ll get no pity from me.”

“But you led me on!” Dame whined. “You were so friendly to me. I felt from the bottom of my black heart that there was a spark between us.”

“Aigo!” Coffee Lady was distraught. “Are you human? You’ve ruined my life.

“With Thomas I could’ve been happy forever and gotten out of this stinkin’ country.”

She extricated herself from his arm, popped out of the booth and returned to her work area behind the counter to get some orders ready.

Dame threw his arms up. “I know I was a fool but that’s in the past and I’ve moved on.”

* Has he really? *

Unfortunately that was true, Coffee Lady admitted to herself.

Dame, as syrupy and over-the-top as he’d been at times, was no longer interested in her. She could sense it.

And he’d taken his big fat wallet oozing with cash with him.

“Okay,” she said from behind her counter, “If you have moved on, I wish you would act that way and not come here and flirt.

I have things to do.

“If customers come in here and see us carrying on like this, they will lose interest. Do not interfere in my business.”

“Hey, I was just in the area. I actually have a real reason to come here today – guess who wants to meet me?”

* Who could it be? *

Coffee Lady didn’t respond.

“It’s a woman…” Dame teased.

Still no response but Dame could tell she was listening.

“Remember I told you I had a sister? Yeah, it’ll be the first time we’ve seen each other since she arrived here.”

He glanced up at a clock behind the counter. “I see now though that I’m way too early. Tell you what, I’ll come back.”

He slid quickly out of the booth and headed toward the exit. He’d go and try to squeeze in a quick, unsolicited visit to the Hollywood Inn and see Rose.

He hadn’t seen her since she’d abandoned him last night.

He took one last wayward look back at the counter to catch his ex-heartthrob’s eye and as a result walked right past Fred without noticing him.

Coffee Lady was turned right around, however, purposely trying to avoid the ogling eyes that she could feel making a final last stab at her neck and back.

Dame quickly withdrew his last, searching glance. He revolved his head back around, puffed out his chest and squared away his shoulders.

Marching to the exit without missing a beat, he extended out his arm and pushed the opaque glass door open and emerged onto the landing.

As the door hissed shut under the governance of its hydraulic piston mounted up top, it was as if the café’s power had been out and just been restored.

Coffee Lady immediately sprung to life behind her counter, vigorously attending to cleaning and organizing duties.

For a few seconds, Fred simply watched her as if she were a ballerina performing an elaborate routine.

Not wanting to disturb her, he left some currency on his table and slipped out.

*

Tomorrow: Donna thinks of her brother and Dame goes to see Rose.