Martoons

Cast of characters

Donna

Damion

Rose

*

Throughout the day, Donna had been thinking about the meeting she’d set up with Dame.

She hadn’t seen him since that first day when Dame and Mr Go picked her up at the airport and drove her into town.

But during the drive Dame had said he “didn’t feel like talking”, which puzzled her.

Days later when she’d settled in and scoped out the general situation in Korea, Donna became worried about Dame being here at all; she was particularly horrified by how readily available – and cheap – alcohol was.

She kept expecting Dame to track her down and hit her up for the airfare, but he didn’t.

He’d regularly bummed cash from her back home and couldn’t hold down jobs there; here, Donna had envisioned him struggling even more since he didn’t speak the language.

Yet the fact that she hadn’t heard a peep from him for all these weeks was her first inkling of how wrong she was.

Although Dame Lee would never admit it, he was in his element in this ‘God-forsaken peninsula’.

He often told others he was leaving soon, but actually doing so was the farthest thing on his mind.

* So Damion isn’t actually planning on leaving? *

*

“You didn’t schedule this so it is expected that I would charge you more,” Rose said as Dame arrived at her Hollywood Inn door.

Truth is, she had no appointments but did have a business sense.

He whined. “Oh Rosie-O…” He liked the way her new nickname rolled off his tongue. “…I was hoping you’d make this visit on-the-house.”

She was mildly outraged, scoffed and shook her head. “What world do you live in?”

“You have to think big picture. Go talk to your colleague Coffee Lady. She’ll tell you what a good customer I can be.

“If you treat me real nice, I’ll become a regular and I tip really well.”

“A few years down the road you’ll have enough for a deposit on your very own apartment.”

She wasn’t impressed. “I already have that, or will have soon.

“My mother owns land, you know? Over in Chili Pepper Village. When she sells, she will get me my own apartment.

“I’ve already got it picked out. It’s an office-tel in downtown Chinju. I just do this to help her with grocery money.”

“But why wait for your mother? You can be independent. Make your momma proud!”

Even though she’d only met Dame for the first time last night, Rose found his comments endearing (well, a tiny bit anyway, and nothing she’d ever admit to).

Unlike most – actually all – of her other clients who baby-talked her to a point of insanity, Dame actually seemed to have a shred of respect for her in her own right as a person.

He was almost like the father figure she’d never had.

She’d have to wait and see of course, but so far she found him interesting, to say the least. Well, different anyway.

“Okay, okay,” she caved in.

“Even if I don’t believe you foreigners will ever stay in this country very long – thank God! – I have heard that you particularly are a very good client.”

“But all I have to directly go on is that little incident last night at the rotary – how embarrassing!”

“Maybe you didn’t mean any harm last night; it’s just that … well, I think it was a stupid thing to do.”

“You know, the whole thing looked bad from the outside and it’s no wonder that other foreigner intervened.”

“Yeah, and he’s going to regret that.”

* What is Dame going to do? *

*

Tomorrow: Rose tells it like it is.